Light of the Heart
by Silaya Arctic Prower
Summary: Ten years after the defeat of the Metarex, shit is starting to hit the fan. Another Metarex shows up, followed by several strange Mobians claiming to be from another galaxy, as well as the missing SHadow the Hedghog, who had been believed dead. What the hell is going on. T for blood, violence and other things, but no sex.
1. Prologue

PROLOGUE: A Promise Made...

Unknown Date, 6:19 p.m. Mobius time

Unknown Location

A silver and white Mobian fox with a green ribbon around her tail snarled as a bullet flew past her. A dark gray echidna ran next to her. "What about our dads? We can't leave them!" The fox dove behind a large rock. "We have to! Our dads gave us this chance, and we have to take it!" The gray echidna collapsed next to her. The fox turned in time to see a red echidna get shot.

The silver and white fox squeezed her eyes shut as a silver fox and a black bat fell next to him. The gray echidna turned to look, but the silver and white fox stopped him. "Don't. It just makes it worse." she sobbed. He nodded and she looked back again. An orange fox and two hedgehogs went down, along with a chameleon. The fox shut her eyes, tears streaming down her face. "Dad..."

She sucked in a breath. "They're gone. We have to get to the others." The echidna nodded and stood. They sprinted off. A black cat ran up next to them, a sniper rifle strapped to his back. "Where are our dads?" he whimpered. The silver fox closed her eyes as she ran on. "They're dead. Like everyone else. Our siblings are gone too." The cat's amber eyes grew round and he let out a wail.

The silver fox skidded to a halt and grabbed his shoulders. "Nico. Calm down. We'll change this. But we have to get to our moms." Nico nodded, tears in his eyes. "Darius!" The fox snapped to the echidna. Darius looked up. The fox's eyes were filled with regret. "Take Nico and get the hell out of here. Wait five minutes, then go." Nico's eyes widened. "No! You can't!" Darius grabbed the little cat's arm and dragged him away.

"No! Darius, she can't!" A black bat raced towards them. She turned in time to see the silver fox draw her katana and race away. "No! Ar-" Darius grabbed her. "No time! We have to go!" The black bat gave a dismayed glance over her shoulder before growling and following. Along the way, a purple lizard joined them. "Where's-?" began the lizard, but Darius cut her off. "Not now. We have to go."

Ten minutes later, they reached their destination. A bat, a cat, a hedgehog, and a pale woman stood waiting by a machine, all females. They looked hopeful when they saw the small group, then their faces fell. "Where are...?" the woman said, then trailed off. "Oh, Tails..." she whispered. The cat's eyes widened. "S-Silver?" she asked, eyes wider than Nico's. The bat hissed, "We don't have time. We have to-"

"You can't go with them, Rouge. None of you can." The voice belonged to a black hedgehog. Rouge whipped around. "But-" The female hedgehog said, "Shadow's right. We can't. We have to defend the machine." Shadow bowed his head. "We have to send them back alone." He looked up. "Cosmo, turn it on." The pale woman nodded and started typing.

"Tails was always better at this than me." she murmured. "Amy, convince Shadow to let us go!" Rouge growled to the hedgehog. Amy shook her head. "That would create a tear in the tunnel to big to repair. It would negate their births, more likely than not. They can't see us, but they don't know our children." Nico growled at them angrily and hissed, "We have to wait. Five minutes. She'll be here."

"Damn right I will be!" the silver fox shouted as she skidded to a halt beside them. Darius, the black bat, and Nico looked up, while the lizard busied herself helping with the machine. An explosion went off twenty feet away. Shadow snarled. "They're here! We'll hold them off! Go!" The silver fox's eyes were wide. "We'll fix this, Shadow." He looked down at her. "I know you will."

Without any other words, Darius, the black bat, Nico, the purple lizard, and the silver fox stepped onto the machine. Cosmo pressed a button. The silver fox stared at her, then, without a word, pulled a hair clip out of her hair. Cosmo accepted it and looked at it. It was the fox's favorite one, one that her father had given her. It was blue with an emerald at the tip.

Before the fox and her friends could dissappear in the time machine, though, robots swarmed the area, firing. The six in the machine could only stare as their friends and family were slaughtered. "We'll fix this, guys!" the silver fox shouted as a loud whirring sounded and a white light flashed. Shadow and Cosmo were the only ones still standing.

Shadow was covered in wounds and Cosmo was close to dead on her feet. Tears streaming down her face, the last thing the fox said before she disappeared with her friends was, "We'll fix this! No matter what it takes!" She screamed as gunfire sounded and Cosmo fell next to Shadow, dead. Shadow turned and stared at them. The silver fox's multi-blue eyes locked with his crimson ones.

Gunfire sounded and they stared at each other like a lifeline as he fell to the ground. As his last breath faded, his last thing that he heard before he died was her screaming,

"I promise!"


	2. Chapter 1

Silaya "Arctic" Prower proudly presents...

PT. 1 of the Rising Wind Saga...

Light of the Heart

Enjoy!

I don't really like critisism, even the constructive kind, so unless its REALLY important or I ask...

Thanks!

T for excessive foul language, blood, violence, and perverted humor.

A/N: that was a really sad prologue. i almost cried. anyway, sorry if this seems a little rushed, im good at many things, but weddings are not one of them. im sorry guys! it gets better i promise! sorry! anyway, this takes place ten years after cosmo kicked the bucket. maybe thats too long a time gap but as eminem would say, "maybe i need a strait jacket face facts i am nuts for real but im ok with that!" The first few chapters are going to be a little short, but there's a bunch of em. id do not own any of the sonic x characters, they belong to sega. i only own the story line and my own characters. read this over, because there is only one disclaimer! enjoy the story! **shadow:** i dont think they will. why am i here again? **me:** because. your one of my faves and tails is busy. **shadow:** hmph. **me:** shut up or ill have you die in the first chapter. **shadow:** you already did! **me:** yea, but i killed everyone in the first chapter. at least i didnt kill the black guy first. **shadow:** yeah, you killed the guy with the dreads. so the jamaica dude? wait, was that supposed to be racist? **me:** bitch no! but you have to admit that most of the time, in the movies, its the black guy, the dog, the woman, or the kid that dies first. and its either the white man that gets out alive, or the kid and the mom. and if its not the white guy, its cause the white guy was being a dickhead. **shadow:** now that you mention it and i think about it... **me:** chapter 1! but first, character ages...if their wrong, its cuz i didnt know or it benefits whatever.

sonic: 25

tails:18

knuckles:25

amy:22

rouge:25

chris:physically, 18, mentally, 28

helen:28

shadow: who cares, hes practically immortal! bt in physical terms, 20. mental terms, like sixty.

cosmo:18

blaze:18

silver:18

eggman: ooooooolddddd

cream:16

vanilla:34

vector:36

charmy:16

espio:36

CHAPTER 1: Wedding Crasher

Ten years after the defeat of the Metarex...

Friday, December 18, 2042, 5:01 a.m. Mobius time

Tails' House

_"I can't! I can't shoot you, Cosmo!" Tails yelled to the girl on his screen. Cosmo stared at him desperately. "You have to! There's no other way!" A tear fell from the kitsune's eye. "There has to be!" Shadow's sharp voice said, "Tails! Do it now or everyone will die!" Tails stared at Cosmo's face. "Do it, Tails!" she screamed. "I... I'm sorry, Cosmo!" Tails wailed._

_ "I love you!" he shouted as he punched the trigger. He stared in horror as Dark Oak was destroyed, yet taking Cosmo with him. Cosmo had immobilized him in order for Tails to be able to do what he'd just done, but that didn't ease his grief. "Dammit!" he screamed, an uncharacteristic outburst from the small kitsune. He buried his face in his hands and stayed like that for fifteen minutes._

_ Sonic slowly walked back onto the ship. "Tails." he said softly. Tails sat up. "Did you guys find her?" he demanded. Sonic bowed his head. "Shadow couldn't. He's gone." Rouge gasped. Sonic sighed and continued, "I did find her though. I tried chaos regeneration, but..." He sighed. "She wanted me to give you this." He produced a small white seed from his quills. Tails hesitantly took it. "She... She's really gone." he said numbly._

_ Sonic bowed his head. Tails threw his arms around the blue hedgehog and sobbed. Sonic sighed and hugged the young kit. Everyone bowed their heads, including Eggman and his lackeys. Amy and Cream hugged each other, tears flowing down their faces. Chris slid to the floor. The human looked shell-shocked, and Knuckles put a hand on his shoulder, fighting back tears himself._

_ "Wake up, Tails." Sonic murmured. Tails looked at him. "Huh?" The hedgehog pulled away. "Tails, wake up!"_

Tails shot up, eyes wide. "I'm up! What?" Sonic stood over him. "Good, you're awake. You were yelling in your sleep." Tails sighed and sat on the edge of his bed. "You were dreaming about it again, weren't you?" Tails huffed. "What are you doing here, Sonic?" It had been a little over ten years since the defeat of Dark Oak, a little over ten years since he had killed the only girl he loved.

Sonic sighed. "You wouldn't answer the door. Did you forget? Vector's wedding is today and he specifically said he want you to come. He's been talking about it nonstop for _ages_." Tails managed a laugh, but it was hollow. "Isn't Cream a little weirded out at the thought of Vanilla getting married?" Sonic grinned, glad the fox at least attempted humor.

"Nah, she's cool with it. She's even the flower girl, despite her age. Vanilla's friend Cleo is the maid of honor. She's a brown echidna. Espio is the best man, Charmy is green with envy. Don't forget, you're still a groomsman Tails. You're not getting out of it." Tails nodded. "I know, I know." Sonic had been bugging him for weeks about the wedding. Vector had proposed to Vanilla about three months before.

"Good. Now get ready! It's at five." Tails groaned. "I know! Wait, what time is it?" Sonic turned red. "Er-five... a.m.? Later!" he sprinted off, leaving Tails alone. Tails sighed and got up. "No time like the present." he muttered. He stood and walked down the stairs. In the center of his dining room, a beautiful flower grew in a pot. Its petals looked like whitish emeralds.

Tails ran his fingers over the blossom. Despite their stone-like appearance, they were just as fragile and soft as any other flower. He sat down with a waffle and sighed. "I wish I could have one more chance with you, Cosmo, I would never let you get hurt again. I'm so sorry. I hate myself more every day you're gone. If only I could see you again. If only I had a chance to tell you that I loved you before _it_ happened..."

Friday, December 18, 2042, 4:30 Mobius time

Vanilla and Vector's Wedding preps

Sonic grinned as Vector started to get cold feet. "I don't know, what if something happens? What if she changes her mind? What if-" Sonic cut him off before Knuckles could kill him. "Vector, calm down. You'll be fine. She'll be fine. Everything will be fine!" Knuckles smacked him. "Way to jynx it, you idiot!" This made Vector even more worried.

Charmy hissed to Espio, "Why is he freaking out?" Espio shrugged. One of those anime sweat droplets appeared above Silver's head as Sonic said, "Er-Oops." Knuckles fell in that comical manner we all love. "You are so stupid." he muttered.

Vanilla fretted as Amy adjusted her dress, "Oh, I do hope nothing goes wrong!" Cream scolded, "Mother, don't worry!" Blaze nodded. "She's right, of course, Vanilla." the purple cat purred. "If you worry, it's just wasting time. Just relax." Cheese chirped in agreement. "Cheese! You're not supposed to be in here!" Blaze scolded the little Chao. She grabbed him by the feet and tossed him down the aisle.

"See? Relaxed."

Friday, December 18, 2042, 4:45 Mobius time

Vanilla and Vector's Wedding/Reception

Tails joined the other groomsmen and Vector. Sonic beamed at him. "Tails, just in time! We're walking in fifteen." Tails nodded. Soon, everyone was lined up at the alter. Vanilla, looking gorgeous in a white dress that Amy and Cream had helped make, followed Cream, Cheese perched on her head, who was the flower girl. Vanilla looked slightly nervous, but she smiled warmly at Vector, who blushed.

After the long preaching, everyone grateful that it was over, it was time for the reception. Tails leaned against a wall, feeling drained. Sonic walked over to him. "Hey, come on! This is a wedding, not a funer-" he cut himself off. Tails shrugged. "I know, and I'm happy for Vanilla and Vector, but I can't help but wish..." he trailed off with a sigh. Sonic put a hand on his shoulder.

"I miss her too." he said. Tails looked up, mildly surprised. Sonic nodded. "Yes, I do. So does Amy, Chris, Cream, Cheese, Knuckles, Silver, Blaze, and even the Chaotix. But we have to move on. Live, but don't forget. Never forget what she did, Tails." Tails clenched his teeth. "Never. I'm more worried about forgetting what _I_ did! I killed her, Sonic!" Sonic wrapped an arm around his little brother.

"She told you to. It was for, as she would put it, the greater good. She would have wanted you to be happy. I know she was special. Chaos knows I do. But you have to keep going. Tails-" Whatever Sonic was about to say was cut off as a giant Metarex crashed through the roof. "What the hell? I thought all of the Metarex were destroyed?!" Tails yelled.

"Tell that to this one!" Sonic replied, darting forward and breaking the sound barrier. Tails flew up and threw a piece of metal that had fallen from the ceiling at the creature. The Metarex laughed and swatted him away. He landed next to Vanilla, who helped him up. "Are you alright?" she asked. Tails nodded as Knuckles and Sonic attacked the Metarex, Amy close behind.

Tails darted forward, picking up a pole on his way past. He took the pole and stabbed it through the Metarex's leg. It screeched in pain and pulled the pole out. The creature threw it and the pole embedded itself in the wall. Tails flew up to the Metarex's back. It tried to reach him, but couldn't. It made to drop onto its back to crush Tails and the fox flew off.

The Metarex snarled, then noticed an easy target. Tails saw where it was headed and shouted, "Vanilla, move!" The kitsune darted forward a heartbeat before the Metarex, throwing himself into Vanilla. The Metarex swung its large hand just as Vanilla was clear, swatting Tails instead. The kit flew backwards into the wall. His blue eyes widened, pupils getting slightly bigger before shrinking.

Sonic looked over his shoulder, mouth slightly open, eyes wide, having moved to confront the Metarex. Amy and Knuckles stared in horror. Vector and Charmy, who had been trying their best to help, dropped the objects they had been about to throw. Espio materialized beside Sonic, eyes wide with shock. It was the chameleon who finally broke the silence.

"Tails!" he shouted as the young kitsune's gaze dropped to his stomach, falling on the pole that had been embedded in the wall earlier. The aforementioned pole was now sticking out of his stomach, just to the left of his thin torso. A large cut across his chest showed where the Metarex had hit him. Blood tinged the silver metal red. Tails stared, stunned.

He looked up and his gaze locked with Sonic's before he slumped to the side. "_**No! Tails!**_" Sonic shouted. He turned to the Metarex. "_**YOU SON OF A BITCH!**_" His fur began to darken and everybody took a step back. "He's about to go dark! Take cover!" Knuckles and Espio shouted at the same time. Everybody fled as Sonic's fur turned black and his eyes turned a darker green.

"He hasn't gone dark since Chris and Cosmo were captured by Black Narcissus!" Amy wailed. Sonic screamed, "_**YOU BASTARD! YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!**_" He started doing a spin-dash as he began glowing white. Sonic was thinking in his sane mind, _I hope I don't hurt anyone. Except the Metarex._ But the dark half of him was screaming, _**Die, die, die!**_

Sonic released the spin-dash and crashed into the Metarex's neck. He continued to spin and shot back at the Metarex again. He repeated this several times until all that was left was scrapmetal. The Metarex hadn't stood a chance. Sonic fell to the ground and landed in a kneeling position. The dark color faded from his fur and his eyes became light green once more.

He gasped and held his chest, then looked up at Tails. "No!" he yelled, sprinting forward and breaking the sound barrier. Sonic pulled the pole out of the wall and caught Tails as he fell. Everyone came out of hiding, looking somber. "Tails! Tails, can you hear me?!" demanded Sonic. Cream piped up, eyes wide with tears, "Is he... Will he be okay, Mr. Sonic?" Amy hugged the young rabbit.

Sonic didn't reply. "_Tails!_ Answer me, Chaos damn it!" Tails' eyes flickered open slightly. The kitsune let out a rasping chuckle. "I... hear you... Sonic." he croaked. He coughed blood, which spattered Sonic's fur. He ignored it. "You're gonna be okay, Tails! Just hold on! Somebody call an ambulance!" Tails shook his head. "It's... too late... Sonic. Hey. As you... would tell me... Chin up. At least... I can see... _her_ again."

He smiled slightly. "Dammit, Tails, you're not going anywhere!" Sonic shouted, tears filling his eyes. Tails coughed more blood. "Sorry... to mess up the... wedding." he gasped. "Congrats... you two." He looked at Vanilla and Vector. Vanilla buried her face in Vector's tux, sobbing. Sonic snarled, "You're going to be fine, Tails! We'll get you fixed up, good as new!"

Tails gave him a sad look. "I'm... sorry... Sonic..." he sighed. "I'm sorry... I didn't... hang around you... these past several years. I'm sorry... I let my grief... get in the way..." Sonic shook his head. "Stop talking like that! You can make up for it by getting better!" Tails sighed. "It's... too late... for me... I'm so... sorry. I... wish... I'd... been... around more..." Sonic squeezed his eyes shut.

There was a sudden flash of silver light and a Mobian fox fell onto the ground. She was with a white muzzle, throat, and underbelly, and wore a jade green vest with no sleeves that cut off above her stomach, black leather pants, a blackish belt with a blue gem in the center, and dark combat boots. The underside of her arms was also a snowy white.

Her hair was waist length and blackish-silver, pulled into a braid, with an onyx dragon pendant with a gem in the eye matching the one on her belt to hold it back. "Ouch!" she protested, eyes squeezed tightly shut as tears poured down her face. She sat up, revealing her tail that seemed a little too fluffy. It had a green ribbon tied around the end of it.

The bottom half of it was white. Long, blackish gray hair spilled around her shoulders. She wore silvery-white braces on her wrists and a pendant around her neck. The pendant matched the one on her hair, except the dragon was silver. A tiny blue gem, matching the one on her belt as well, was embedded in it as the eye. The actual necklace part was a black ribbon that clung to her neck, though her vest hid it as she stood.

The silver and white fox dusted herself off with black leather gloved hands, the gloves missing the fingers. and opened her eyes, revealing them to be multiple shades of blue. Sky blue was the most prominent, darkened by navy and given a bright sparkle by a slightly lighter shade of blue. Now that she was standing, it was visible that a thin sword sheathe was buckled to her belt on the left, though there was a lack of a sword.

"Oh... Er-Hello!" She wiped her face off. "I'm sorry. I-" She broke off as Sonic slammed her into the wall and got a hold of her throat. "Who are you, where did you come from, and what do you want? I'm not in the mood to deal with any shit. My friend is hurt and I can't help him! Did you have anything to do with the Metarex-which shouldn't have been alive by the way-that hurt him?!"

"Sonic!" Vanilla protested, but she was ignored. The silver and white fox was wheezing as she struggled to breathe. Her beautiful blue eyes were wide as they slid past Sonic and fell on Tails. Immediately her wheezing became quicker as she tried to speak. Sonic loosened his grip enough to allow her to talk. She coughed and rasped, "He's... poisoned! Whatever... gave him that cut... had poison on it! The hole... I'm guessing... Is from the pole...? That's child's play for a good doctor... but the poison..."

She stopped, panting, and said, "If you let me, I can help him enough to get him to the hospital." Sonic snarled, "Why should we trust you?" Vanilla said sharply, "Sonic! Be polite! What other option do we have? Without help, Tails will die before even you could get him to the hospital." Sonic reluctantly released the silver and white fox, who darted over to Tails' side.

She opened a hidden flap on her vest and pulled out a syringe and a small bottle, which was about the size of a quarter, the lid the size of a dime. She pulled the cap off of the needle and poked it through the rubber lid of the bottle. She got the contents of the bottle into the syringe and tossed the now empty container to the side. Sonic caught it and saw that it was unmarked.

"It's mossient." the fox said without looking up. "The last one I had. The poison is from a plant called Deathlock. It nor either of the plants that made it, nightshade and nightlock, should even be on Mobius anymore. That means that somehow, someone has an extinct plant that happens to be more deadly than anything in the world." Without warning, Tails coughed violently. Blood spattered the silver and white's face.

She sighed, unfazed by the blood. "The poison from Deathlock that I mentioned earlier? It's attacking his vital organs! It'll shut down his stomach first then work its way into his lungs, where it'll dissolve the flesh until he drowns in blood and such from the inside!" Amy snapped, "Nobody cares! Do what you have to in order to save his ass! He can't join Cosmo, not yet!"

"Cosmo?" Tails' voice slurred. "Where?" The silver and white fox murmured soothingly, "It's okay, just stay calm, okay? I'm going to help you." Tails shook his head. "B-But I-I'm going to be with Cosmo." he protested weakly. The young kitsune stared at the other fox's face. "Right?" The she-fox shook her head. "Not quite yet, little one." Tails thought for a moment as she flicked the needle.

"Hey! I'm at least a year older than you. How come you're calling me little?" The silver and white smiled at him. "Because I'm taking care of you. I call all of the people I take care of little one." Tails snorted. "Way to make me feel special in-ah!" he cried out as the she-fox stuck the needle into the exposed flesh of the cut. She squeezed the potion out and pulled the syringe away.

Expertly, she took off the needle, pulled out a bag, and put the dirty needle inside. She tucked the bag into the hidden flap on her vest and put the syringe away as well after putting a new, capped needle on it. She pulled out a small bottle and there were several cringes as the Mobians realized what it was. Hydrogen peroxide, or in simple terms: disinfectant.

The fox shook it briefly, then pulled out a cotton swab and soaked it in the peroxide. Without missing a beat, she started to clean the gash the Metarex had made. The orange kitsune clenched his teeth. Sonic took a step forward, but Blaze and Silver grabbed his arms. "Let her work her biz." Silver admonished. Sonic still leaned over the silver and white fox's shoulder suspiciously.

Rouge was leaning against a wall, looking faint, while Knuckles held Julie-Su in his arms. Amy held Cream and Cheese close, the latter two sobbing in fear. Vector hugged Vanilla tightly. Charmy was on the ground, looking worried, and Espio was doing his invisible ninja thing, probably so no one saw he was just as worried. Sonic watched closely as the silver fox disposed of the used cotton ball and carefully wrapped the gash.

"Okay, he's safe from the poison for a few hours, but the place he was spiked..." She frowned, then shook her head. "Dammit! Why can't Darius and Nico be here? Not to mention the fact that Tris and Shyra are MIA too..." Another flash of light announced the arrival of a black cat with amber eyes wearing black gloves and dark gray shoes.

The cat stood and brushed himself off. "There you are! Darius, Tris, and Shyra are on their way. The tun-" The silver and white fox blinked quickly and the cat shut up, his gaze flicking to Tails and the others. "Oh, my! Can you help him?" The silver and white shrugged. "I'm doing my best." The cat nodded and sat down. With some uneasiness, Sonic and the others noticed the giant sniper rifle strapped to his back.

A few minutes later, the she-fox sighed. "We have to get him to a hospital. I've done all I can to help him until then. She knelt and effortlessly scooped Tails into her arms. She scowled. "What has this kid been eating? Nothing?" There was no answer and she realized that that must have been exactly what the orange fox had been eating. "Oh." she said.

"Then that means we need to hurry even more. Poison spreads quicker in a small body, especially a malnourished one." Sonic stopped her. "I thought you said that stuff would heal him!" The silver and white stared at him with unnerving blue eyes. "I said almost. As it is, it stopped the spread for a while and killed most of it off. But Deathlock is very powerful.

"Even a potion like mine can't completely save him. My medicines are made for use until a professional can look at the patient. I am not suited, physically nor mentally, to make a potion that strong. I can give him a few hours, but the rest is up to the people who's job it is to do the rest. If I could save everyone I treated, I swear, I would...

"But I can't. I realized that a long time ago. Once I accepted that... Who the hell am I kidding. It doesn't get any easier, knowing that you were supposed to save that person, but you didn't, because it was out of your power. The only thing that gets easier is hating yourself. Eventually, you learn to accept what you can't change, but you never forget them."

Sonic froze as she repeated almost the exact words he had said to Tails about Cosmo. Without waiting for a reply, she turned and started walking. "Nico!" she said, refering to the black cat with the sniper rifle. Nico snapped to attention, ears straight. "Yes?" The silver and white fox jerked her head. "Take my sheathe and find my sword." Nico nodded. "And your other weapons?"

"Concealed." she replied as he unclipped the sheathe and took off. She looked thoughtful for a moment, then said, "Where is the hospital? I'm not exactly from around here." Silver said, "Here, allow me." The next thing the fox knew, she was hovering, along with everyone else. Why was she not surprised? Silver used his telekinesis to carry everyone to the hospital.

Friday, December 18, 2042, 6:45 p.m. Mobius time

Mobian Hospital

Five minutes later, the group of ten stood waiting as the doctors tried to save Tails. Sonic was sitting with his head in his hands. Vanilla was sobbing uncontrollably. "This is all my fault! The Metarex hit him because it was trying to get me! Poor Tails is hurt because he helped me!" Cream held her close. "Tails knew what he was doing, Mother! Don't feel sad! He'll be okay! He's Tails!"

Amy left and a loud crashing came from outside as she created nothing but destruction with her Piko Piko hammer. She came back panting and put her Piko Piko hammer away. Knuckles rolled his eyes. Vector, Espio, and Charmy all gave a sigh at the same time. "It's all been going downhill since Cosmo passed." Espio said, knowing that there was no point in tiptoeing around the fact that the Seedrian was gone.

Now that it had been said, everyone began to realize how ridiculous it was to act as though by not saying that she was dead they could change it. The silver and white fox that had saved Tails tensed, her fur starting to rise. "_What_ did you say? Passed? What do you mean?" she demanded. Several awkward glances were exchanged. "Ten years back." Sonic said.

Everyone turned to him. His arms were crossed, his head bowed. He leaned against the wall with one foot propped up against it. "Cosmo died ten years ago. She sacrificed herself to save the universe." The silver and white blinked. _I forgot that things are weird now. Whatever. I have to find a way to get her back. Tails must have been crushed. No matter. I'll find a way to bring her back._

Nico, the black cat, burst in. "I found Darius and Tris!" The silver fox sprang to her feet. "Where?!" Nico panted, amber eyes wide. "A robot with a red symbol on it's got them!" Sonic and the gang exchanged a glance. "Eggman?!" shouted Knuckles. "Don't we have enough trouble?" Sonic glared at the door. "Knuckles, Silver, Blaze! Let's go. Nico, lead the way."

"I'm coming." It was the silver and white fox. Sonic nodded. Nico said, "Oh! I almost forgot! I found your sword." He pulled the sheathe from behind him. A dark blue sword hilt now stuck out of it. The silver and white fox took it and unsheathed it, revealing a silvery-blue katana. "Good. Let's go. While they may be tough, not even Darius and Tris can maintain their sanity around a madman."

Nico led them to an abandoned area that used to have old houses, but they'd long since burned down. A giant silver robot stood in the center. A glass sphere sat in its hand. In the sphere, a dark gray echidna and a dark purple lizard were collapsed on the bottom, along with a male hedgehog. The lizard wore a tight black shirt with dark pants. Sonic suddenly gasped, "Is that _Shadow?!_"

The aforementioned black and red hedgehog looked up. "But that's impossible!" Rouge landed next to them making everybody jump. "Shadow died with Cosmo!" The silver fox pulled out her bow and pulled the string slightly, testing the draw, then fired an arrow. The speed the arrow took off with was astounding. It smashed into the robot with enough force to blow it back several feet.

It dropped the the glass orb, which shattered against the earth. The echidna, the hedgehog, and the lizard fell to the ground. The silver and white fox darted forward. "Darius, Tris!" she yelled. The echidna got up first, followed by Shadow. The fox hugged the echidna. "Thank Chaos! Dammit, Darius, I thought you had gotten lost!" She hugged the lizard with the same fierceness.

"And Tris, you said you'd keep him out of trouble!" She let the lizard go and looked at them for a heartbeat before looking at Shadow. Without warning, she tackled him, clearly surprising him. Just as she did, the robot's hand swung over them, missing their heads by inches. Darius growled and turned to the robot, which had a giant dent in the center of its chest. It looked ready to attack, but Silver smacked it with a telekinetic slap.

Knuckles raced forward and punched it in the face. Blaze sent a fireball at it and Sonic raced around it, making a whirlwind. Without hesitation, it turned and fled. "Coward!" screamed Tris. A black bat with dark brown eyes, wearing a black bodysuit and black boots, darted forward as the fox sat up. "Shyra!" Darius called. The bat nodded to him and darted over to the silver fox.

Darius joined them. Shadow stood. There was a wide grin was plastered to the fox's face as she sprang to her feet. "Now that we're all here..." She snapped to attention. "Team! Introductions!" she barked.

Darius, the dark gray echidna with blue eyes, stepped forward first. "I'm Darius Shade! Weapon of choice, hand-to-hand combat! I'm seventeen years of age." The black bat with brown eyes, Shyra, said, "My name is Shyra Night. My weapon of choice, pistols. I am seventeen." She pulled a pair of pistols from the holsters on her hips and spun them expertly.

The black cat with amber eyes, Nico, said proudly, "Nico Firecharger! My weapon of choice is the sniper rifle! I'm sixteen!" He pulled the aforementioned weapon from his back and leaned against it. The purple lizard, Tris, said, "Tris Goldenglow! I don't use a weapon, as I prefer to heal. I'm a pacifist and I'm fifteen years old." The silvery-gray fox with blue eyes smirked cockily. "Silaya "Arctic"-" she paused.

"Raicha. I use multiple weapons. Including but not limited to the bow, katana, throwing knives, and daggers! I'm seventeen years old!" Her eyes twinkled. "But of course, for the most part, I'm known as Arctic."

"Darius!"

"Shyra!"

"Nico!"

"Tris!"

Arctic smiled. "Now that we're all here, we'd better get back to the hospital." Darius looked bewildered. "Hospital? Why?" Arctic scowled and explained what had happened to Tails. Shyra gasped. "Let's go!" She paused as she got some odd looks and covered for herself. "If one of our friends was wounded like that, I can imagine how we'd feel. You must be anxious to get back."

Without any more questions, the group started back.

Friday, December 18, 2042, 6:58 p.m. Mobius time

Just Outside The Hospital

"Sonic!" Amy wailed. She threw herself at the blue hedgehog, who darted out of the way. Amy, unable to stop herself, wound up hugging Darius instead. The ash-colored echidna stared at her and she pulled away with a yelp, embarrassed. Darius exchanged a glance with Shyra and the bat shrugged. "Beats me." she muttered. Arctic cocked her head.

Shadow rolled his eyes. "How's the kit?" At that moment, Espio joined them. "The doctor says that our little friend will be alright. Vector, Charmy, Vanilla and Cream left, after much convincing." Sonic nodded. "Are you leaving too?" Espio nodded. "Unfortunately, I cannot wait. A friend of mine has something important to tell me." He rolled his eyes.

"It's alright Espio." Knuckles said. The chameleon left along with Silver and Blaze, leaving Sonic, Shadow, Amy, Knuckles, and Arctic's group. The doctor, a bright green squirrel, came out, opened her mouth, then saw Arctic, the others, and their weapons. "U-Uh... You can't have those in here..." Arctic hesitated, then pulled a bag out of her pocket and handed it to Nico. "Take our weapons somewhere safe."

Nico groaned. A sharp growl from Arctic quickly stopped him from complaining. He took the bag and the weapons outside. As soon as he was out of sight, he slipped the weapons into the bag, which was enchanted/engineered to hold a _lot_ of stuff. The big weapons were childs play.

Sonic turned to the doctor. "Is he awake? Will he be okay?" The doctor smiled. "Ask him yourself." She stepped out of the way and Sonic and the others darted inside. Arctic and her friends followed more slowly. "Tails! You're okay!" Sonic yelled. The orange kitsune cringed at the sudden noise. Knuckles slapped Sonic, clearly telling him to chill out. "Yeah... I guess I am."

"Is there a reason you sound disappointed?" demanded a voice. Everyone turned. It was Silaya who had spoken. "Who are you?" Tails asked. The silver fox rolled her eyes. "The one who saved your life. I'm Silaya. Everyone calls me Arctic, if that makes things easier. So, why do you sound so disappointed to be _alive with your friends_, right here, right now? Huh?"

Tails averted his gaze. How could this fox read him like that? It was like he was a book that she had plucked from the shelf and only had to look at the cover to know what he was about. Arctic crossed her arms. "Well?" she demanded. Tails unwillingly thought of Cosmo, of her laugh, her smile, her sparkling blue eyes as she looked at him...

"There was a girl." Arctic realized. "You cared about her." Tails blushed. "Stop that!" he snapped. Silaya shrugged. "You need to try harder to disguise your emotions. I can see them all over your face. Like right now, you wish I would shut up, go away, leave you alone. You wish that the girl was still here, but you know that she's not. You wish that I hadn't sav-"

"_**SHUT UP!**_" Tails shouted uncharacteristically. "_**JUST SHUT UP YOU STUPID VIXEN!**_" Sonic and the others looked shocked. Arctic's eyes narrowed. "I will not. Listen to me, you sorry excuse little vulpine. Just because one person leaves your life doesn't mean you go and leave everyone else who cares about you! Think about how you feel about that girl! How do you think _they_ would feel if that happened to you!?"

The silver and white fox waved her hand to Knuckles, Sonic, and Amy, who were looking on awkwardly. "They would be crushed! Do you see them moping and wishing they were dead!? They probably miss her too! Yet you're going to act like an injured sparrow from Earth, flapping its good wing and feeling oh-so sorry for yourself! You're not the only one hurting!

"They're hurting too! Every time they see _you_ doing _this_ to yourself, torturing yourself, it kills them inside! Do you not see them flinch every time Cosmo's name comes up? That's because of _you!_ _You_ are what's keeping everyone from going on! So take a breath, hike up your skirt, and kick your ass into high gear!" Tails froze at the mention of Cosmo.

"Don't you _dare_ talk about her! Do you know how much I would give up to have her back, even if just long enough for me to tell her how I feel?" he snarled. Arctic glared at him. "Don't _you_ dare to act like you know everything. That I don't know _exactly_ what the _fuck_ that _feels like!_" Then her face softened, along with her voice. "Look, Tails. Cosmo is _gone_. She would want you to be happy. You are killing yourself more and more that you think like this! Eventually, you'll just fade away!

"You'll be a shell! How will that be better for anyone? Don't you see how depressing it is when everyone at a wedding cares more about your life than you do?" Despite her sharp words, they didn't hurt as badly as it had hurt to think of Cosmo before. "It's because you would never admit that she was gone. That's why you've been like this. You have to move on or your grief will-" she choked, then tried again.

"Your grief will utterly destroy you." Without waiting for an answer, she left. Tails felt slightly guilty. "She's right you know." To everyone's surprise, it was Shadow who spoke. "She's right. You've been living in the past. Just like me. She clearly knows what she's talking about. I'm going to go find her." Everyone stared, stunned at the change in usual behavior of the ebony hedgehog. What the hell had happened to him in the ten years he'd been MIA?

Tris, the dark purple lizard, said to Tails, "Here, let me fix you up. When I'm done, you'll be out of the hospital by the end of the hour." Darius rolled his eyes and coughed, "_Modest_ much?"

Shadow followed the direction that Arctic had taken. He could feel traces of her energy. "Chaos Energy? Coming from a normal fox? That's not right..." He sighed, then shrugged. Just another thing he'd have to figure out about her. Another thing was why did she make him want to go after her? He shrugged. He was smart. He'd figure it out eventually, but for now, one thing at a time.

He found her standing next to a stream in the woods. "Hey." she said. Her eyes were closed and she was leaning against a tree. Shadow didn't bother asking how she knew he was there. "Hey." he replied. "You mind?" Arctic shook her head. "Not at all." Shadow sat down next to her and she looked at him. "So what's up?" she asked. Shadow shrugged.

"Not much. Just wondering why you took off like that." She sighed. For a moment there was silence and Shadow thought she wasn't going to answer. Then she said, "I lost almost everyone important to me. My mother, father, aunts, uncles, friends, everyone. Where me and the others come from, there was a big war going on. Before we escaped, everyone died. That's why I snapped." Shadow was silent for a moment.

"I think you got through to him." he said finally. "The look on his face after you left? It looked like he had been blind his whole life and was able to see for the first time." Arctic blinked. "Oh?" _This just means that I have to get Cosmo back as soon as possible. Before he can go back to Mr. Depression._ Shadow nodded. "It seems like he's been on the ground for a while now. It did him good to have someone tell him off for it."

The silver and white fox at his side nodded slowly. Shadow continued, "He probably won't be completely on his feet for a while. But eventually he'll be okay. You really knocked him off." Arctic looked thoughtful. She narrowed her eyes at Shadow, who was leaning against the tree. She wondered if she should trust him with the secret of how she planned to bring Cosmo back.

He seemed okay, but you never knew. Besides, she didn't even know how she was going to do it. She'd have to come up with a plan before she even thought about saying something to anyone. Plus, from everyone else's initial reaction to him showing up, nobody even knew he was alive. It was best to keep it to herself, as he could have been brainwashed into serving someone. Unlikely, but true.

A loud crashing interrupted her thoughts. Shadow sat up and Arctic leaned forward. A heartbeat later, a laughing Eggman stumbled through the bushes, holding something cupped in his hands. It was a small flower in a pot. The flower had leaves that looked like whitish emeralds. It glowed softly. It was the most beautiful thing that Arctic had ever seen.

Shadow's reaction, however, was more negative. "No!" he snarled. "That bastard!" Arctic looked at him, confused. "What-?" she broke off. "You know what, forget it. Let's just get that away from him. It's clearly important." She reached for her katana, then realized that she had given it to Nico. "Dammit. Well, looks like I'm doing this the old fashioned way!"

She waved her tail, the green ribbon fluttering, then darted forward, startling Shadow with her speed. She all but appeared next to Eggman and snatched the flower out of his hands. Her eyes widened as she felt a slight stir in the energy of the crystal-like rose. She glared at Eggman and gave him a roundhouse kick to the face. She followed it up with a Sparta kick to the chest.

Eggman stumbled back, fear in his eyes, and fled. Arctic glared after him as Shadow joined her. "Wow." was all he said. Arctic smiled slightly, then turned her gaze to the plant. Her eyes were soft as she brushed the soft petals with her fingers. She froze suddenly and her eyes widened. What looked like a shockwave passed through her, setting her fur on end.

She blinked quickly when it passed and turned to Shadow. "We'd better-"

"It's gone! It's gone! Just vanished!" Tails' voice yelled. "What is it, Tails?" It was Sonic. "Cosmo's flower! It's gone!" Sonic gave a shout of rage at Tails' reply. "Not cool! Not cool at all!" Shadow and Arctic exchanged a glance. "We'd better get this back to him." the silver and white fox said. The black and red hedgehog nodded. They were about to set out, but just then, Tails, Rouge, Sonic, Amy, Knuckles, and Arctiic's friends burst into the clearing.

Tails' eyes widened as Arctic approached with the flower. "This is what is missing, no?" she asked. Tails wordlessly took it, eyes wide. He brushed the petals carefully, as though worried that the flower would turn to dust.

"Th-Thank you!" he finally managed to stammer. The other fox nodded. "But there is something..." she began, then hesitated. Tails looked at her. "What is it?" Arctic straightened. "That flower... How long have you had it?"

"Almost ten years now, why?" Silaya blinked. "Hmm... Normally a flower would have been long dead... And there's a certain energy to it. I think that..." she paused, then continued, "I think that part of Cosmo's spirit is in there somewhere." Everyone's gaze was focused on her. She reached out to touch the plant, then paused and asked Tails, "May I?" The kitsune hesitated, then nodded. Arctic brushed the plant's crystal-like petals, feeling mentally for what she now knew was there.

A small trickle of energy approached her cautiously, like a cat or a dog approaching a stranger. She reached for it and felt a half-conscious mind suddenly and violently attack her. _**Who are you? What do you want?! Go away! Leave my place!**_ It screeched. Arctic stumbled away, panting. "Yeah. Someone is definately in there. *cough*One who has a deal for cliches.*cough* They just need a little wake up call."

She paused, then asked, "How many Chaos emeralds do you have?" Sonic answered immediately, "Four. I have two, Knuckles has one, and Tails has one." Shadow added, "Five. I have one, too." Arctic nodded. "Fetch them." Several bewildered stares greeted this. "Er-What?" Sonic said. Arctic sighed. "Do you guys love Tails?" They nodded. "Do you want him to be happy?" More nods.

"Then don't fucking question me. I'll explain later, but for now, kick your asses into high gear before I Sparta kick you into next week!" Sonic sprinted off and returned in less than fifteen seconds with the four Chaos emeralds. Shadow handed his over. Arctic took them and placed them in a small circle. "Tails, put the plant right here." She pointed to the center of the circle.

Tails hesitated, then did as she asked. "Darius..." Arctic said. Darius stepped forwards and knelt next to the circle, knowing what his "foxy" friend was going to try. The silver and white fox put one hand to his forehead and gently touched the plant with the other. She closed her eyes and imagined some of Darius' life energy flowing through her and into the plant.

A glow came from the emeralds as they responded to her commands. They rose into the air and started spinning. Wind rose up and the Chaos emeralds began to revolve around the fox, the echidna, and the plant. There was a bright flash and the Chaos emeralds fell to the ground. Arctic fell back, exhausted, and lay there. Darius stepped away and turned to stare at the plant.

It was emitting a soft green glow. It brightened suddenly, blinding everyone. When the light faded, a green-haired girl lay on the ground, next to the plant. Tails turned, blinking. He stared at the girl on the ground who was not the silver fox that had fallen over, his heart pounding.

"Cosmo!"


	3. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2: I'll Prove It When I'm Sober... Someday.

Friday, December 18, 2042, 7:35 p.m. Mobius time

The Forest

The Seedrian girl blinked and sat up. She took in the silver and white fox laying near her that she didn't recognize, the pink, blue, and black hedgehogs staring in shock, a grinning dark gray echidna that she also didn't recognize, along with a black cat and bat who were also new to her. Then her gaze fell on the twin-tailed kitsune that stood just beyond the exhausted silver and white fox.

The kitsune was staring at her with his mouth agape as she shakily stood. He felt a trickle of unease. What if she were mad at him for pulling the trigger? He took a deep breath. One way to find out. "Cosmo!" he shouted. He sprinted forward and grabbed her in a tight hug. "Oh, Cosmo, you're alive! You're okay!" His gaze fell on the plant. Its green hue was slowly turning white. Soon, it looked like someone had crystalized a white rose. Cosmo herself just stood there, stunned, as Tails embraced her.

"T-Tails? What am I doing here? I... You all didn't _die_ did you?!" Her voice turned panicked. The silver and white fox on the ground wheezed as she stood, "No, Cosmo. We're all very much alive, including you." She adjusted her vest, which had started sliding up and revealing more than she was comfortable with, as the only reason the vest was cut off so short was because she prefered being able to meneuver easily, and hiked up her leather pants.

"My name is Silaya, but everyone calls me Arctic. The gray echidna who's about to get his teeth knocked out if he doesn't stop trying to make the black cat think he's crazy is Darius. The black bat is Shyra, and the black cat is Nico. Wait, where's Tris?!" The dark purple lizard appeared from behind a tree. "My apologies. The extra Chaos energy was making me nervous."

Arctic nodded. "And that's Tris." Introductions done, Cosmo asked, "What happened? I... I'm dead. I was in a dormant state in the flower. How am I here?" Arctic smiled. "That would be me. See, Eggman stole the flower from Tails and I kicked him into next Tuesday. I took the flower from him and I could sense you in it, so I had Sonic get the Chaos emeralds in his and the others' possession.

"Then, using a little of Darius over there's life force, I was able to wake you up and use the Chaos emeralds power to pull you out of the flower and give you your physical form back. Simple." Cosmo didn't think so, but she was too happy to care. She threw her arms around the silver and white fox and said, "Thank you so much! I owe you!"

But Arctic shook her head. "Oh, no! Never that! No, consider it a favor in which the only thing I ask in return is that you listen to what a certain fox would like to tell you. The orange one, not me." Cosmo turned. "Tails?" Tails was a fierce shade of pink. He glared at the silver and white fox and stared at his feet. Arctic hissed, "You said that you wished you had another chance and that if you had one that you would tell her how you feel. So do it!"

She walked over to the rest of the group and gave him a challenging stare. "Cosmo... I've been going a little... nuts, since you've been gone. I've missed you like crazy. I just want to say-" Cosmo cut him off. "Wait." Tails stared at her and she said, "When I was in that flower, I heard you talking to me every night. You took care of me, even if you didn't realize it.

"I'm grateful for that, as it would have been a lonely half-life if you hadn't been there. Thank you, Tails. But I also heard you blame yourself for what happened to me. It was _not_ your fault, Tails. I told you to pull the trigger! It is not because of you that I died." She put her hands on his cheeks. "I just want you to know that." Tails looked into her blue eyes.

"Cosmo... How could I _not_ blame myself? You died because, in the end, I did decide to pull the trigger. But that's in the past now. One of my only regret was not... Was not telling you how..." He started tripping over his words and Arctic rolled her eyes. She stealthily crept behind the twin-tailed kitsune and shoved him into Cosmo, getting exactly the intended effect.

Tails and Cosmo's lips smashed together. They both froze. Satisfied, Arctic beamed and walked back to the others. She herded them away. "Come on, you perves, no need to watch the lovebirds." At this, Cosmo and Tails sprang apart. They both looked thoroughly embarrassed. Tails scratched the back of his head. "How I feel." he finished meekly.

"Oh? And how do you feel?" Cosmo asked, not looking directly at him. Tails smiled. "I-er-well...I kind of-well, that is, I do...I mean... Er... Ah... Oh, fuck it. Cosmo, I love you." The Seedrian froze and her eyes widened. "You... _what_?" She was stunned. _Did he just say what I think he did?_ Arctic, Sonic, and the others hadn't left yet, and they slowly turned their head to stare.

Arctic shoved them even more quickly into the woods, saying something about perves. _Looks like no one heard me when I shouted it on the Typhoon..._ Tails thought as he scratched his head. "I said that I love you." Cosmo blinked. Then her eyes started watering. "Oh, fuck, Cosmo, are you alright?" Tails demanded, putting his arms around her. "Did I say something wrong?"

Cosmo shook her head frantically. "N-No! I-I'm fine. Y-You... You love me?" Tails nodded and gave her a gentle squeeze. "Y-Yeah, I do. I have for a while now, actually. I was just too scared to say anything, but then I lost you and... I'd never regretted anything more." Cosmo coughed. "You told me you loved me once but I marked it down as deleria and didn't say anything." Tails froze.

"I did what?! When?!" Cosmo snickered. "Remember the party-how long has it been since I died? Ten years? Then ten and a half years ago. Remember? Rouge accidentally spiked the punch and everyone was drinking it. The next morning, everyone woke up with murderous headaches..."

Flashback(even though this never happened)

Shadow, who had walked out for about fifteen minutes, returned to the party to find it had gone completely over the edge. Knuckles was yelling at the toaster, Sonic was fleeing Amy, Chris, looking panicked and yelling for help, was dangling from some leftover Christmas lights, and Cream was jumping on top of the fridge. Blaze was cooking a marshmellow with her pyrokinetic powers.

Shadow's eye twitched as Silver picked up the microwave with his mind and threw it into the wall. "I need new friends." Chris fell from the ceiling, still tangled in the lights. He pulled an inchworm and crawled out of the room. The Chaotix were arguing loudly about something about Tails and Cosmo's "young, tragic love that needed a push in the right direction."

Cosmo walked in. "Hey, what's with the noi..." she trailed off and stared in stunned silence at the spectacle before her. Without another word she left. Shadow glanced after her, grabbed an orange, and followed suite. He almost crashed into her turning the corner and he skidded to a halt. Cosmo stared up at Tails, who was flying in a lazy circle, saying something about crazy kids.

Shadow burst out, "Okay, what the hell is going on?" Cosmo looked at him. "I do not know, but it is kind of creepy." Shadow shook his head as Tails slowly fell to the ground. "It is _way_ more than creepy." he muttered. "What happened to everybody?" A loud voice yelled, "I spiked the punch, what else?!" Cosmo and Shadow turned to see Rouge standing there, a bottle of some kind of alchohal in her hand.

"And what exactly possessed you to do that, Rouge?!" Shadow yelled. Rouge snickered and he realized she was drunk. "It was an accident. I-*hic*-was drinking and then-*hic*-I fell and my vodka-*hic*-poured into the punch." Cosmo stared down at Tails. Shadow rolled his eyes. "Well, looks like we have a _lot_ of cleaning up to do, Cosmo. Mainly keeping everyone from being drunken idiots."

Cosmo looked at the kitsune in front of her and nodded. She knelt next to him and he looked up at her. "Oh, hey Cosmo! You tried the punch?" Cosmo hesitated. "Er-Not yet, Tails." He grinned. "Cool." She took his arm and put it over her shoulders, helping him stand. She started half-carrying him down the hall while Shadow went to round up the rest of their friends. "_Pssssssssst!_" Tails hissed dramatically.

"Is Shadow gone?" Cosmo looked at him. "Yes. Why?" Tails grinned stupidly. "Cuz I wanna tell you somethin..." He beckoned for her to lean closer. She did. "I just wanted to tell you that I like you... A lot. I think I even love you." Cosmo stared at him. "Yes, you are definately drunk." she decided. "No I'm... Okay, I heard what Rouge did to the punch, so I think I am... Anyway, no I really mean it!"

Cosmo rolled her eyes and went back to carrying him to his room. "Yep, now I know you're smashed." Tails protested loudly, "No I-Okay, I am, but it's true! I do love you! I'll prove it." Cosmo turned to tell him to calm down and he leaned upwards. Cosmo froze as he kissed her. He pulled away and winked. "Believe me yet?" Cosmo's cheeks were bright pink.

"I believe that you're so drunk that you won't even remember this in the morning. I also believe that you are so drunk that you just believe you feel that way. How much of that punch did you drink?" Tails shrugged. "Beats me. All I know is that I lost count after eight cups." Cosmo sighed. "Yep, you are way beyond your sane mind." she said, slightly amused.

"Despite the fact that you're drunk as fuck, if you did feel that way, you would not be that straightforward." Tails continued to protest as she finally got him to his room, but she shot him down every time. She dragged him inside and made him lay down on his bed. "Sleep." she ordered. Tails nodded meekly. Cosmo turned to leave, but Tails grabbed her wrist.

"I will prove it when I'm sober. ...Someday." With that, he passed out. Cosmo shook her head and left to help Shadow.

Flashback end

Tails gaped. "I knew we wound up drunk, but I never knew I was _that_ drunk. I thought that part was a dream... I'm just glad you never teased me about it." Cosmo smiled. "Nope. Never have, because I thought you hadn't meant it." Tails blinked. "I think that my drunk self is smarter than my sober self." Cosmo giggled at him. "Oh, Tails." She blinked. "Do you really mean that? Do you really feel that way?"

Tails didn't miss a beat. "Of course. When have I said something that I didn't mean?" Cosmo smiled widely. "I love you, too! I just never had the courage to up and say it." Tails grinned. Cosmo thought for a moment, then asked, "Did that silver and white fox, Arctic, mean that? Did you really say that you wished you had another chance with me?" She looked like Christmas had come early.

Tails nodded, turning a dark shade of pink. "Y-Yeah... I went a little..." He made a swirling motion with his finger. Cosmo raised an eyebrow. "What's the worst thing you could have done?" Tails shrugged. "In all reality, not much. The worst thing I did was snap on Arctic when she was all but reading my mind. But before she showed up, I stayed inside all the time unless I had to go out."

Cosmo's eyes widened. "Really? That's terrible!" Tails turned slightly pink. "Yeah... I kind of regretted it when I-" He broke off and Cosmo stared at him curiously. "When you... What?" she asked. "Nothing..." Tails hedged. "Tails!" Cosmo said, exasperated. A voice broke in, "He got poison bitch slapped and spiked by the last Metarex at Vanilla and Vector's wedding. And then I had to save his ass."

It was Arctic. Cosmo and Tails looked up to see her standing on a thin branch above them, arms crossed. Cosmo gasped. "Tails! You call that nothing?! When did this happen?" Arctic broke in before Tails could reply, "About an hour ago, actually. At Vanilla and Vector's wedding." Cosmo stared. "Vanilla and Vector got married?" Arctic blinked.

"I guess you get out of the loop when you've been living in a flower for a year." the silver and white fox said. Tails shrugged. "Let's explain on the way back." he said, wrapping an arm around the Seedrian. "The others will want to be around you too." 

Friday, December 18, 2042, 7:48 p.m. Mobius time

Just Outside The Forest

When they saw Cosmo, Arctic's friends, Knuckles, Rouge, and Sonic simply stared while Amy threw herself at the Seedrian and squeezed her so tightly that it looked like the poor plant girl would pass out. Amy released her. "Oh, Cosmo! You're back and you're alive and we can talk to you and Tails isn't going to lock himself in his house anymore and we can hang out and have girl talks with the others and-"

"Amy!" Shadow snapped. "Chill the fuck out. You're going to give her a heart attack." Amy glared, but backed down all the same. Cosmo beamed. "I've missed you all! I'm so glad I'm back!" Sonic grinned. "We're glad too, Cosmo. It's been pretty dull without you around." Tails nodded. "He's right. The place just didn't look the same without a flower brightening up the place."

"Oh, shit!" Arctic growled. "The flower! No one grabbed it!" She darted off. Knuckles blinked. "I wonder why she cares about the flower?" he wondered. Everyone shrugged. "Maybe she just doesn't like the thought of a flower that pretty getting lost." suggested Tails. "I mean, not to be sexist or anything, but most girls tend to like pretty things." He looked at Rouge as he said this. Arctic came back, flower in hand, along with the Chaos emeralds, which she handed to Sonic. Shadow snatched his back and shoved it into his quills before Sonic sprinted off, returning them to their rightful places.

Rouge shrugged. "Hey, don't look at me. I've called a temporary break in habit, remember?" There were several exchanged glances at the word temporary. Tails shrugged. "We should probably get somewhere. We still have to figure out where Arctic, Darius, Shyra, Tris, and Nico are going to stay. Cosmo too." Arctic grinned. "I'd be willing to bet that Cosmo wants to stay with _you_."

Tails turned slightly pink. Cosmo, blushing, nodded slightly. "She's not wrong." Her embarrassed look faded. "But where will _you_ all stay?" The group of five exchanged a glance. "Erm..." Darius started. Tris tipped her head to the side. Shyra blinked. "Well..." Nico scratched his head. "Come to think about it, we really didn't plan for that, did we?" Arctic shook her head. "No we did not. Not at all."

Tails suggested, "They could stay in my living room. It's big enough for the six of them." Arctic and Darius exchanged a glance, then the silver and white fox nodded. "It sounds great, thank you." The dark gray echidna turned to the other members of their group. "Okay, team, let's take inventory and move out. Nico, return weapons to their owners and find our bags. Tris, do what you need to. Shyra, get us an eye in the sky. We don't-"

Shadow cleared his throat. "Is all of this really necessary? All we're doing is walking about fifty yards to Tails' house." The five exchanged glances. "He's right." Darius said, surprised. "We're so used to travelling and being in danger all the time that it's more of a comfortable habit by now. Sorry. Shyra, stay down here, Nico, just put the weapons in the individual bags. And Nico... We still need our stuff. Get on."

Nico pulled the bag that had the weapons from his shoulder and pulled out three more bags. He slipped Shyra's pistols into the first one and handed it to her. He put his sniper into the next and set it to the side. Last, he pulled out Arctic's katana, bow, and quiver of arrows. After putting them in the last bag and giving it to Arctic, he closed the original bag and slung it over his shoulder, then darted off to get everything else.

Tails stared. "How did you get those bags? They're smaller than my hands, but they can still fit giant weapons without even looking crowded." Arctic and Darius looked at each other. "We will tell you some other time." the silver and white fox said as she clipped the bag onto her belt, turning to look at the others. Tails shrugged. "All right..." He sounded uncertain, but he didn't complain.

Sonic smirked. "Let's go get everyone settled in, then." Arctic and Darius exchanged a glance and grinned. It had been a while since they'd been welcomed warmly somewhere. Without warning, Silver crashed through the bushes. "Oh. There you guys are. Everyone was curious as to... as to... as to... as to..." He saw Cosmo and his eyes bulged. "Holy fucknuggets! _**Ghost! I'm going insane!**_"

Without waiting for an explanation, he took off running in the other direction. Blaze came from the direction he had run a heartbeat later. "Anyone want to explain why Silver's gone off the edge?" She turned to them and saw Cosmo. Her eyes widened, then rolled back into her head as she fainted. Tris, who was closest, caught her. "Is this what we have to expect from everyone?" Nico asked, having returned moments ago.

Sonic and the gang exchange a glance, then nodded. "If we hadn't seen it ourselves, we wouldn't have believed it either." said Knuckles. Sonic and Amy nodded. Shadow scratched the back of his head. "Personally, I think that we're all insane and having some weird ass illusion, but hey. I'm not complaining if it'll stop Tails moping around. Clearly a certain silver and white fox is a good influence."

"No, I just don't harbor any illusions, so I get a little blunt at times." Arctic protested. There was a loud rumble and Arctic and her groupies immediately dropped to the ground, except for Darius and Shyra. Darius looked embarrassed. "Sorry, guys! Don't worry, that was just my stomach." Arctic lifted her head. "Heh heh... I knew that." She got up. Nico and Tris followed suite.

Shyra joined Darius, but Nico stayed on the ground. Shyra rolled her eyes. "And this is why he gets abused. Get up, Firecharger!" She kicked the cat in his side. Nico yelped and scrambled to his feet. Arctic glared. "Shyra! Stop it!" Darius sighed. "More infighting. Look at us. Can you believe that we six used to be about thirty-five?" Cosmo stared at them.

"Is that why you all got scared when you heard the rumbling? It reminded you of the people you lost?" she asked. Shyra grunted. "It doesn't matter. It happened a long time ago, in the First War." Knuckles looked confused. "First War?" Darius smacked Shyra in the back of her head. "Ouch!" she snapped. Darius glared at her. "News hasn't gotten here." he hissed. Sonic and the gang leaned forward, trying to hear.

Darius pulled away. "Ignore her. She's a little crazy. She was dropped on her head as a baby." Shyra glared. "And you're way better!" teased Arctic. "Remember when you spilled that orange juice on my dad's chair and my mom's couch? Then you tried to get the stain out by pouring-" Darius interrupted, "Shut up!" His face and neck turned a vivid red.

Arctic paused then said in a stage whisper, "He poured _bleach_ on the purple couch and on the gray chair!" Darius growled. "It's no different than the time you tried to fix the vase with glue!" Arctic's whiskers twitched and she tossed her hair. "The difference is that _that_ actually worked." Darius glared at her. "Anyway." she said, noticing his stare but pretending to be oblivious,

"We should probably get moving in case that Eggman guy shows up or something. Tris." The purple lizard snapped to attention. "Yes?" Arctic gave her a look. "Go see if you can find anything useful from the Metarex's body. Oh... I'll take Blaze." She added, noticing Tris give the purple cat a glance. Tris handed her the pyrokinetic cat and took off. Arctic glanced at Blaze and said, "Hey Amy." The pink hedgehog looked up. "Yeah?" Arctic grinned. "Do you throw a lot of parties?"

"Um... Only on holidays and special occasions." Arctic nodded. "I think the best way to throw Cosmo back into society is to throw a party and have her show up. Christmas is going to be here soon. That would be a good time." Amy cocked her head. "Oh yeah. It is, isn't it? The lack of snow kind of threw me off." Tails looked surprised as well.

"Now I feel bad. I've been locked up in my house so long that I didn't bother paying attention to what time it is." Shadow punched his shoulder. "Yeah, we're going to have to readopt you into the circle of life too." Knuckles shouted suddenly, "Fuck! I forgot to get Julie-Su's present!" He took off running. Tails blinked. "Just out of curiosity, how long do I have to do any Christmas shopping?"

Arctic thought for a moment. "About a week." Tails blinked. "Oh, shit. Hey Sonic, can you get these guys settled in my living room? Cosmo, you want to come with me?" Cosmo nodded. Tails grabbed her waist and flew off. Sonic blinked. "Well then. Good thing I got my Christmas shopping done _weeks_ ago. I just have to find something for Cosmo now that she's back."

Shadow thought for a moment. "I don't normally do Christmas shopping, but hey. Nothing better to do. Here, I'll take Blaze home." He took the purple cat from Arctic. "Chaos Control!" Rouge grabbed his arm as he said this and they disappeared. Sonic looked over at Arctic and her group. "Follow me and I'll get you settled in." Amy suddenly looked panicked.

"Wait a minute! Christmas party! I haven't planned! I don't have any decorations! Oh no!" Arctic put a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down. I'll help you if you want. Amy nodded. "Guys! Go with Sonic. I trust that he'll take care of you." She glanced at Sonic, who nodded. "Let's go!" he said, dashing off and breaking the sound barrier. Nico blinked. "Is he kidding?"

Sonic came back, accompanied by a sonic boom. "Whoops. Sorry. Follow me." He walked off. The group followed him. Amy turned to Arctic. "Okay, let's go!" She grabbed the silver and white fox's hand and dragged her off. Arctic's last thought was,

_What the hell have I gotten myself into?_

As though in answer, it started snowing.


	4. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3: What the Hell, Guys? Teens Are Teens, I Guess.

not a lot of action yet, but bear with me guys. **shadow:** ill bear with you...*hold giant bear with a leash* **bear:** *glares and attacks* **shadow:** AAAAAHHHHH! **me:** *rolls eyes and pulls out taser* *shocks bear, which collapses, twitching* you're welcome.

Friday, December 18, 2042, 8:28 p.m. Mobius time

Road Near Tails' House

Sonic led them all to Tails' house, snow piling up around them. Nico, without Arctic to keep him in check, kept pointing to things and asking, "What's that? What's that?" Sonic would answer calmly, but his patience was wearing thin. Shyra, agitated, grabbed Nico's head and wrapped her arms around his mouth. "Shut the fuck up! Sorry Sonic, he's never been here before."

Sonic sighed in relief. "Don't worry about it." Though on the inside he was shouting, _Yes! He's finally shut up!_ He blinked, remembering how well Arctic could read people, and immediately made his expression passive. Shyra pinched Nico's neck. The cat slumped over. "That was highly unnecessary, Shyra." Darius said sternly. "Oh whatever. You wanted to do the same thing."

"I won't deny it, but it was still unecessary." Shyra rolled her eyes and threw the cat over her shoulder. "Why can't she be more... I don't know... Cat-like? He's to energetic. He's not really that lazy." Darius huffed. "You know why. He was half raised by squirrels." Shyra scowled. "Stupid squirrels. They just had to give him sugar all the time, didn't they?"

Nico butted in, having woken up, "Hey guys? Sonic's been standing in front of that house and staring at you for they past five minutes. I think we're here." Sonic was indeed waiting for them. He smirked as Shyra and Darius shuffled their feet and mumbled apologies. "Don't worry about it." He pulled a keychain out of his quills and took out Tails' key. He unlocked the fox's house and led them inside.

Nico gaped and stared at the pictures of Tails and the group. He seemed particularly interested in one of Shadow holding Tails in a headlock, Sonic trying to keep the black hedgehog from killing the kitsune. "That looks like me, Darius, and Arctic. That exact same thing happened to us." Darius looked over and laughed. "Holy shit, that looks exactly like us! Except for, you know, species and colors."

Shyra forced Nico to sit down.

"Stay."

Arctic tripped over a pile of snow as Amy dragged her by the arm. "Amy! Slow down! The week's not going to pass in two seconds!" Amy ignored her, then skidded to a halt outside of the mall. "We're here!" She dragged Arctic into the first store that sold Christmas decorations. "Oh, this is pretty!" she said, pointing to a twelve foot thing of silver tinsel with purple tinting.

She grabbed two and noticed streamers. "Hey, Arctic, can you grab two of the red, one of the white, and one of the green?" Arctic did so. Amy threw the tinsel around her neck and picked up a red and green tube of wrapping paper. She also noticed a bag of bead necklaces and picked that up as well. Arctic cocked her head. "Why?" Amy grinned. "Just because. Sometimes it's fun to do random things."

Arctic smiled. "Okay then." They took the stuff to the cashier. Amy paid for it and they left. "Here." Arctic said as they left, taking the bags. "I'll carry this." Amy relented her load and they moved on to the next store. Amy looked around thoughtfully. "I haven't gotten my Christmas shopping completely done yet. Do you want to help with that too?" she added to Arctic.

The silver and white fox nodded. "Sure. The guys won't get into _too_ much trouble while I'm gone."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~********************Meanwhile!********************~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tris yelled as Shyra grabbed her tail. "What did you say you son of a bitch!?" Tris screeched and pulled her tail away. "My mother was a lizard, not a dog!" She tackled Shyra to the ground. A dust cloud that could only pop up in a cheesy story or an awesome cartoon surrounded them, only showing their heads occassionally. Darius shouted, "Guys! Stop fighting! Arctic will be back soon! If she comes back to you two fighting like this-"

He broke off with an angry shout as the dust cloud moved over to him and dragged him into it. "Fuck this shit!" He jumped above the cloud and dove back into it elbow first. Sonic, panicked, leaped onto the couch next to Nico, who's nose was bloody and eye was swollen shut, to avoid the fight. "Come on, guys! Chill out!" They didn't. Sonic sighed and sat down. When was Tails coming back?

Arctic and Amy walked down the street, arms loaded with Christmas bags. Arctic glanced around, marveling at the buildings bright lights. Amy smirked at her, then threw a snowball at her. "H-Hey!" Arctic spluttered, laughing. She scooped up an armful of snow and tossed it at the pink hedgehog. "Take that!" she said. Amy laughed.

Arctic blinked as a sharp change in the wind sent snow into her eyes. "Let's go, before it gets too cold." Amy nodded. "I'll take you to Tails' house." Arctic nodded. "Hey! Wait for us!" It was the kitsune himself. He was holding Cosmo's hand. Both of them were laden with bags. Arctic stared. "Wow. Someone went a little nuts." Cosmo glanced at Tails. "Blame him!" she giggled. "He felt bad about staying inside all the time, so he went over the top!"

Tails turned bright pink. "Well, what do you expect? I was an idiot, so I wanted to make up for it." Arctic shrugged. "I'd do the same thing." Tails grinned. "You two mind if we walk with you? We were just headed to my house."

"That's where we were headed." Amy said. "Come on, then!" They started walking again. Arctic shook her head to get the snow out of her ears. "So, did anyone see Cosmo?" she asked. Tails cocked his head. "A couple of people did double takes, but I think that they thought they were crazy. After all, everyone's heard of the last Seedrian, the one who gave her life to save everyone elses."

Arctic nodded. "If they think that they're going crazy, when they see that Cosmo really is back, they'll be even more surprised." Amy shrugged. "Whatever, as long as they're surprised." Tails and Cosmo exchanged a glance. They had just reached Tails' house. Amy took the bags from Arctic. "Thanks for your help Arctic." Arctic nodded. "Any time."

Amy left and Tails opened the door. He looked inside and stopped. "What the hell?" he demanded. Darius, Tris, and Shyra were on the floor fighting while Sonic sat on the couch with Nico, trying to get them to stop. Arctic gaped. Shyra had her hands around Tris' throat while the black bat kicked her repeatedly in the stomach. Darius was trying to pull them apart.

Arctic growled. "Son of a bitch. What the hell! Get your asses over here!" The three Mobians froze, then scrambled to their feet and stared at Arctic. The silver-and-white stood in front of them. "What the hell, guys! What was that?" she barked. "I leave you alone for maybe an hour and you start fighting like this? This is not our place! You have no right to fight here!

"What caused this? Sonic?" she turned to the blue hedgehog. He shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I came back from the bathroom and Shyra was yelling some random thing about dogs and Tris said something about rabies and then it escalated into fighting. Then Darius tried to stop them but got dragged into it. It was all too crazy from there." Arctic whipped around and glared at her group.

"Is this true?" Now, anyone else probably would have started blaming everyone else, but they were a highly disciplined group that had fought wars... so... Okay, sorry, who the fuck am I kidding. Teenagers are teenagers, wherever you go.

"Tris said-"

"But Arctic, Shyra tried to-"

"It wasn't me it was the hairless rat-"

"That dumb rabies infested-"

"That scaly dike-"

"The vampire-"

"Okay, that's going to far, bitch!"

"What the fuck ever, fang face!"

"_**ENOUGH!**_" Arctic shouted. Darius, who had not said anything, had the grace to look ashamed, but the lizard and the bat looked defiant. "But-" Shyra began, but Darius smacked her on the back of the head. "Shut up!" he hissed. Arctic turned to him. "And _you_ Darius. I expected more of you. I trust you to keep them out of trouble, but you got into trouble _with_ them."

Darius bowed his head. "Nico!" Arctic said. "What happened to your nose and your eye?" The black cat shifted uncomfortably. "I tried to get them to stop fight and Shyra decked me." Arctic glared at the bat, who flinched away. "Nico, get Tris to help you in a minute." Nico nodded. Arctic turned to the three Mobians who had done the fighting. "I am disappointed in all three of you." Shyra and Tris immediately began protesting.

Shyra snapped, "You're still treating us like we're at war! There are no more enemies, and you're not our leader anymore! I don't see any enemies about. This whole deal that we made was originally a force of rebels. Now it's six people using it as a code. You don't see Sonic and their group doing that. Sure, Sonic leads them, but not like you do. You may listen to what we have to say, but you still make the ultimate decision. Sonic and his friends decide together."

Darius looked away. "_Quid errabit iniurnium._ What can go wrong will go wrong. This has definately gone wrong." Arctic shrugged. "I suppose, but, _Quae versatur circa venit._ What goes around comes around. I suppose we had this coming." Sonic broke in, "Sorry to interrupt, but can you stop talking in that language? It's giving me a headache."

Arctic blinked. "What, Latin? Sorry. We picked a few phrases up along the way and use them here and there." Sonic shook his head, lightheaded. "Okay then. Now that Tails is back, I don't have to babysit. Later!" He darted off, but he was dizzy and he crashed into the doorframe on his way out, effectively knocking himself out. Cosmo blinked. "That had to hurt."

The three Mobians that had just gotten chewed out just seemed to notice that she and Tails were in the room. Darius blinked. "Uh. Oops." Arctic sighed. Nico blinked just as a loud rumbling penetrated the air. No one dropped to the ground this time, but Shyra flinched. Darius chuckled in embarrassment. "Heh heh... Sorry." Cosmo smiled. "Someone's still hungry." Darius scratched the back of his head.

More rumbling came, this time from Nico. The cat glared at Darius with his round amber eyes. "Great, now you've made my stomach start backtalking." Tails rolled his bright blue eyes. "Cosmo and I can always make sandwiches." The group exchanged a glance and nodded. "Yes please!" said Nico, looking for all the world with his wide eyes and flattened ears like an Earth cat begging for scraps.

Arctic laughed at him and ruffled his fur as Tails and Cosmo left for the kitchen. "Does anyone have a problem with PB&J?" Cosmo called. A collective "no" came from the living room, Shyra's voice the loudest. Not five minutes later, everyone was sitting in the living room with a sandwich. Cosmo took a bite out of hers, swallowed, then asked, "So where do you six come from?"

Tails blinked. "Somewhere interesting, clearly. I mean, Arctic brought you back with a flower, an echidna, and Chaos emeralds. Could anyone we know do that?" He touched the crystal-like flower, which was sitting in the center of the table. The five exchanged an uncomfortable glance. "It's a long story." Tris hedged. Darius blinked. "Well, we came from a long way away."

Shyra didn't say anything. Nico cocked his head to the side. "It was a nice place. There were trees everywhere. Almost every house had a garden. It was beautiful, more beautiful than anything else I can think of." Cosmo blinked. "You say was?" Nico looked away, ears flat against his head. Arctic sighed. "It was attacked and destroyed not too long ago. Almost everyone was killed except for us and our parents, along with a few of their friends."

Shyra rubbed her arm. "They sent us away to protect us. Arctic, Darius, Nico, Tris and I's dads sacrificed themselves so that we could escape. Our moms wanted to stay, but they had to come with us, along with a friend. They were killed getting us out of there." Cosmo blinked. "Oh... I... I'm so sorry. I had no idea... I didn't mean to pry..." Arctic shrugged. "It happened a while ago."

_For us anyway. And we're going to keep it from happening._ she added silently. Cosmo looked at the ground. Tails put a hand on her shoulder. Arctic looked up and blinked. "You understand how we feel. It happened to you." Cosmo looked up, surprised. "Y-Yes. The Metarex-" Arctic stopped her. "You don't have to tell us." Cosmo blinked. "Alright then. That's weird."

Arctic smiled. "Your emotions and thoughts are written on your face. I'm very good at reading people's expressions. I try not to, but sometime's it's useful." Tails grumbled. "I bet you never lose at chess..." Arctic laughed. "Actually, one person has beaten me with his superior intellect." Shyra stared at her. "What? Who?" Arctic raised an eyebrow. "My father? Hello, anyone home in that mind of yours?"

"Oh. Right, got it." Shyra said, relaxing. "I forgot about your dad." Darius let out a loud belch. Everyone looked over to see that he had finished his sandwich. Arctic blinked. "You had that thing... for not even a minute." Darius grinned. "Heh heh. What do you expect? I'm Darius." Arctic blinked again. Cosmo giggled. "There's more in the kitchen if you're still hungry. Take as many as you want."

Arctic's eyes widened at the same time as Darius'. "Uh, Cosmo, I don't think-" Before Arctic could finish, Darius had darted off. Arctic sighed. "And he's gone. I hope you realize that those sandwiches are as good as done now." Cosmo laughed. "I doubt even he could eat that much." The echidna came back with a sandwich in each hand, one stuck on one of his dreadlocks, and one in his mouth.

Arctic grinned and turned to Tails and Cosmo. They were staring in amazement. Then they burst into laughter. Tails grinned. "Looks like Sonic has more of a rival than just Shadow." As though the blue hedgehogs name had summoned him, Sonic sat up from next to the door, finally conscious. "I have a what now?" He saw Darius with the sandwiches.

"Sandwiches? Tails and Cosmo made sandwiches? Where's mine?" Tails rolled his eyes. "There's some in the kitchen." Sonic darted off. He came back looking like Darius. Darius glared at him. "Mph." he said. Sonic turned. As though by some unspoken signal, they started eating at the same time, shoving their sandwiches into their mouths wildly.

Arctic smiled sheepishly and sweatdropped, Tails grinned, Cosmo scratched her head, Tris rolled her eyes, Nico snickered, and Shyra facepalmed. Darius and Sonic finished at the same time, in the time it took for Arctic to finish one. Their bellies bulged slightly and the narrowed their eyes at each other. Arctic slipped past them into the kitchen and grabbed a sandwich before they could eat them all.

She slipped back into the living room. Sonic and Darius were still having a staring contest. Shadow materialized into the room. He saw the sandwiches and without a word went into the kitchen, grabbed one, and joined the rest of the group. "So when did this start?" he whispered. Arctic described in a hushed voice what had led to the staring match and Shadow chuckled.

Without warning, Darius and Sonic made for the kitchen, tripping over each other in their haste. Darius fell to the ground. He grabbed Sonic's foot and climbed over him. Tails glanced at Cosmo. "I think they like your sandwiches." Arctic popped her head between them and laughed, "Insert sexist joke here!" Shadow blinked. Then, to Tails and Cosmo's surprise, burst into laughter.

Tails blinked. "Damn, Shads. The only thing I've ever known to make you laugh is when you get all creepy. This seems... well... _normal_." Shadow smirked. "Sorry. It was just unexpected. I was thinking exactly the same thing!" Tails looked at the silver and white fox. "Hey, don't look at me like that. I'm good, but I'm not _that_ good." Rouge burst through the door, snow crusted in her fur.

"Where is he?" she demanded. She saw Shadow. "What in the hell possessed you to leave me in an abandoned parking lot!? It is cold!" Shadow's eyes widened. "Meep." he said. Arctic thought for a moment, then stealthily pulled a blow gun and a tranquilizer dart out of her vest. Rouge towered over Shadow, screaming her head off. Arctic loaded the gun and fired the dart.

It hit Rouge perfectly in the neck. The bat stumbled. "What the...?" was as far as she got before she fell over, snoring. Shadow pulled the dart out of her neck and turned around. "Okay, who saved my ass?" Arctic grinned and waved her blow gun. "I did." Shadow sighed. "I-" Arctic interrupted him, "Owe me one? Yes you do." He stared at her. "Classic."

Shyra looked at the bat on the ground, then flicked her gaze to Arctic. Nico gulped. Darius and Sonic came out of the kitchen in a cloud of dust, fighting over a sandwich. Tris raised an eyebrow. Arctic sighed and pulled out two more darts. She put them in the tube and raised it to her lips. There was a slight _thunk_ as they darts left the tube in rapid succession. Sonic and Darius froze. The dust cleared.

Suddenly, Darius collapsed on top of a snoring Sonic. The sandwich fell on his head. Arctic raised an eyebrow. She dropped her blowgun on the couch and walked up to the heap of gray and blue fur and or quills. She plucked the sandwich off of Darius' dreads and looked at it for a second. "Huh. It doesn't even look like it left the plate." She shrugged and took a bite. "You snooze you lose." Shadow joked.

"Literally in this case." Tris pointed out. Nico snickered and Shyra facepalmed. Arctic grinned as she pulled the darts out of Darius and Sonic's necks. "Three for three." she said. "My record is twenty for twenty. Anyone want to help me beat it?" Everyone shook their head frantically. Arctic looked as though she were reaching for another dart and everyone looked scared.

Then she stopped and laughed. "Don't worry. I'm out. I forgot to grab more before we... Left." She grinned. Shadow sighed in relief, then swatted his neck. "Ouch!" he snapped. He pulled a sewing needle out of his neck and glared at Shyra, who had Arctic's blow gun raised to her lips. The bat slowly lowered the gun and set it on the couch. She then proceded to stand up and slowly back out of the room.

Shadow glanced at Arctic, who waved her hand in a "go for it" motion. Shadow darted off. Shyra yelled in surprise, then started screeching. "Oh, fuck, what's he doing?" Arctic asked. She walked over and peered around the corner, then burst into a fit of giggles. Everyone joined her to see Shadow tickling the ever-loving dog shit out of the black bat.

Silaya tried to stifle her laughter, but didn't do very well. Shyra looked up, squirming, and called, "Arctic! Don't just stand there! Do something!" Arctic shook her head. "Nah. I'm good." Slowly, she and the rest of the group backed away, mocking the bat. Several people what had happened to Shadow over the ten years he was gone to make him so cheerful, but the rest were laughing to hard to give a fuck.

"I'll remember this!"

Friday, December 18, 2042, 9:02 p.m. Mobius time

Tails' House

Not an hour later, Rouge started waking up. Shadow panicked. "Uh... What do we do?" Arctic blinked at him. "You're a hedgehog with a Chaos emerald who can use Chaos Control." Shadow blinked. "Oh. Right." He took the bat's arm. "Chaos Control!" he shouted, then disappeared. Arctic glanced towards the kitchen, where everyone else was, and was tempted to join them.

A moment later, he reappeared covering his eye. "What happened?" Arctic gasped. Shadow pulled his hand away, cringed, then open his eye. "She woke up." He didn't have to say anything else. Arctic giggled. "That's why you don't leave women like her unsatisfied." she teased. Shadow blinked. "Was that an innuendo?" Arctic rolled her eyes. "You may not have said anything, but it's obvious to everyone that you're an item. Sheesh, you're gone ten years and you get a girl first day back."

"Actually," Shadow said, blinking, "She just broke up with me." Arctic gaped. "Wait you were dating?!" Shadow facepalmed. "You tricked me." Arctic nodded. "Hey everyone!" she shouted, but Shadow grabbed her mouth before she could say anything else. "If you say anything, I swear, you will suffer the same thing Shyra did!" Arctic's eyes widened.

Shadow had tickled the bat until she passed out. "Understand?" the black and red hedgehog demanded, crimson eyes flashing. Arctic nodded slowly and Shadow released her. She took a step away, paused, then screeched, "Everyone, we were right! Shadow and Rouge-" Shadow grabbed her before she could run off and started tickling her.

"Stop! I'm sorry! Stop it!" Arctic shouted, laughing. Tails and Cosmo popped their heads in, followed by Nico, Shyra, and Tris. Sonic and Darius were still passed out on the floor. Arctic yelled, "Come on Shadow! I'm _sorry_ okay! I- Don't tickle me there!" Shadow had tickled her stomach with her thrashing. The hedgehog grinned and tickled her more.

"Shadow, come on, buddy!" Arctic protested, still laughing. "Knock it off! Stop it! _Stoooop!_ I can't breathe!" Shadow rolled his eyes as she laughed. "Come on, Shads! They didn't even hear what I said!" Shyra butted in, "Yes we did. Payback is a bitch, bitch." Arctic yelled, "Shadow, stop it! You owe me one, remember!" Shadow paused.

"I never said when I would return the favor." he pointed out, grinning. "Sorry, Ark. No rest for the wicked." The fox's eyes widened. "Oh, fuck." Silaya muttered. Then Shadow started tickling her again. At that moment, Amy burst through the door. "Hey guys, I-" She broke off when she saw Shadow and Arctic. The two froze and looked up at her. Amy shook her head in a depressed manner.

"Pedophile..." she muttered. Shadow stood and glared at her. "Hey, I was in cryo for fifty years and I don't even look old. That doesn't count." Amy rolled her eyes. "I hope you know that that was to let Arctic escape." Shadow looked down and sure enough, Arctic was gone. She hid behind Cosmo. "Save me." Tails snickered. "If she had said mommy, it would have been funnier, but it's still pretty damn funny."

Cosmo smiled at the silver and white fox. "Don't worry, I won't let the big bad wannabe badass hedgehog hurt you." Tails stared at his girlfriend. "Holy shit that's only the second or third time I've heard you swear." Cosmo rolled her eyes. "I wasn't just twiddling my thumbs in that plant, Tails. You pick up a lot of habits when you do nothing but listen all the time."

Tails turned pink, remembering all of the times he had lashed out and thrown things around swearing at the top of his lungs. It was part of the reason the place had gotten so messy. Cosmo nodded. "Yeah, makes you think, doesn't it." Tails paused. "Wait a minute. Does that mean... _You've been watching me sleep_?" Cosmo shrugged. "I've watched you sleep even when a wasn't a flower."

Tails blinked. "Stalker girlfriend. Always wanted one of those." (A/N: ha! Total Drama reference. l. .l.) Shadow blinked. "There should be an "until you got one" somewhere in there." Tails shook his head. "No. Pretty sure I want to keep this one." He kissed Cosmo's cheek and she blushed fiercely. Arctic stuck her tongue out. "Ewww. There's a perfectly good room upstair that I believe belongs to you."

Tails grinned. "I live here." Arctic grinned. "Oh so you do the same thing I do? Cuz I do this thing called "whatever the fuck I want." Do you do that?" Tails' ear twitched. "In my own home? Yes." Amy piped up, "Hello, I didn't come over here to listen to this! You guys need to come with me!" Shadow crossed his arms. "And why is that?" Amy grinned.

"Because Julie-Su is trying to get Knuckles to wear nice clothes."

A few minutes later, after practically climbing over each other to get out, the group was sprinting down the road. Sonic and Darius had woken up and were running along with swollen stomachs, panting. Arctic skidded to a halt at the same time as Amy. Julie-Su stood in front of Knuckles, arms crossed. "But Knuckie-bear, can't you do this for me?"

"Julie-Su, I would do anything for you, but I _won't_ do _that_." Sonic blinked. Julie-Su held a pair of dark jeans and a t-shirt. Not too bad, but for an echidna who doesn't wear clothes, it was a waste of money and patience. Knuckles sighed and looked up. His gaze fell on Sonic and the others and he said, "Save me." Julie-Su rolled her eyes. "It's not _that_ bad. You know what? Forget it. Bye, Knuckles."

She marched off. Knuckles sighed and said, "I think I made her mad at me." He looked up. "But still. If you ever see me wearing skinny jeans, you have my full permission to punch me in my vagina." he growled. Several gazes inadverdently flicked downward. "Well don't look, I don't really have a-Oh, forget it." The echidna facepalmed. "You guys are idiots."

An hour later, everyone was settling down at Tails' to sleep. Since Rouge had kicked him out, Shadow was there too. "Night guys..." Darius said, sounding delirious. Shyra slapped him. "Shut the fuck up and let everyone go to sleep." Nico gave a contented purr. "Now, now, gentlemen..." Arctic rolled her eyes. "You guys are idiots." Nico started snoring.

A loud noise ripped the air and everyone looked around. Shadow took a deep breath to sneeze and immediately regretted it. "Aw... Aw that is _foul!_" he said, losing the sneeze. "Don't breathe through your nose!" It was to late. Several groans filled the air. Darius snickered. "Soooorryy..." he said, then started snoring.

"Ah, come on, Darius!"

"That's bad, man!"

"Why? Why would you do that?"

"Dude..."

"Gross!"

"Ha ha very funny. Hear the sarcasm in my voice?"

"What the hell..."

But the dark gray echidna was already asleep. _Well, despite the fact that we'll all probably die soon, that was entertaining. _thought Silaya. That was the last thought the silver and white fox had before she drifted off.

Friday, December 24, 2042, 9:50 a.m. Mobius time

Arctic sat up and yawned. It had been a week since she and her friends had joined Sonic and the gang, and they were settling in nicely. Arctic sniffed the air. She could smell something cooking. She waved her tail as her stomach growled. She crawled out from under her blanket andstood, stretching. "It sounds like someone's awake in there." Cosmo's voice called softly from the kitchen.

Silaya walked in and waved her tail. "Hiya." she yawned. Cosmo had a stack of pancakes sitting on a plate next to her and she was cooking two more on a hot skillet. Bacon sizzled in a pan next to it. "I hope I didn't wake you!" Cosmo said. Arctic shook her head. "No. Almost nothing wakes me up in the morning." She glanced at the bacon.

"My mom used to make the bacon first, then use that pan for the pancakes after she got rid of the grease. It cuts down on dishes, _and_ you'll have bacon flavored pancakes!" Arctic advised. Cosmo tipped her head to the side. "I'd never thought of that. I'll have to try that sometime." Arctic smiled. "Do you need any help?" she asked. Cosmo shook her head.

"I'm okay in here, but if you want, you can put plates and silverware on the table." Arctic nodded, then hesitated. "Where are they?" she asked. "The plates are in there and the forks are in there." Cosmo said, pointing. She flipped a pancake as Silaya started pulling out the dishes. She set them on the table neatly and rolled her neck, listening to the satisfying popping noise.

Cosmo came in with the plate of pancakes and set them on the table. Arctic stared. The stack had to be at least a foot and a half tall. "What's with all the pancakes?" she asked Cosmo. The Seedrian giggled. "I figured that Darius would be hungry." Arctic nodded. "Fair enough. Should I wake them?" Cosmo nodded. "If you want." she said, going to get the bacon.

Arctic walked over to her friends. Nico was curled up in a ball while Darius was sprawled out. Shyra's head was on the gray echidna's stomach. Tris was laying with her bottom half on the couch and her top half hanging over the edge. "Aww, they're so cute." Silaya said sarcastically. She noticed a damp hand towel and grinned.

She picked it up and waved it until it was twisted enough to give a good smack. Then she whipped all four of them with it, one after the other. They scrambled up, shouting, and stared at her. Darius looked around, bewildered. "What... the hell... was that?" he panted, blue eyes wide. Everyone else looked equally shocked. Arctic grinned as Tails came down. "What the hell was that?"

Arctic grinned at the orange kitsune. "That was a wake up call." she said, snapping the towel. Tails rolled his eyes. Cosmo came out, saw the towel, and shook her head. "Kids nowadays..." Arctic rolled her eyes. "Okay then. Even though you're hardly a year older than me." Cosmo giggled. "Someone hardly a year older than you who made breakfast. Who's hungry?"

Darius darted forward and raised his hand, jumping up and down. "Me! Me! Me! I am! I am! I am!" Cosmo giggled and stepped to the side. Darius raced past her at a speed that rivaled Sonic's. Everyone else laughed and followed him. When they sat at the table, he already had several on his plate and was shoving them into his mouth.

Tails raised an eyebrow.

"Want some syrup with that? Or butter? Or anything to stop you from choking to death?" Darius blinked, cheeks looking like they belonged on a chipmunk. "Umm. Oops." he said, his voice muffled by the pancakes. Cosmo giggled. "Just keep something nearby to drink." she said, sliding a glass of milk towards him. Darius smiled, making sure to keep his mouth shut.

"Thanks." he mumbled. This got laughter all around the table. Even Shadow snickered a little. Arctic smiled at Darius at the gray echidna returned to shoving pancakes into his mouth. ...And then he started choking. His face started turning purple. "Hurk!" he gasped. Arctic rolled her eyes, walked over to him, made him tilt his head back and open his mouth, then picked up the milk Cosmo had grabbed him.

The silver and white fox snorted. "We tried to warn you Darius." she said, pouring some of the milk into his mouth. She made him shut it and he swallowed. The purple faded from his face and he gasped for air greedily. "And next time, maybe your little mind will process that we're right." Arctic added, setting the milk down and folding her arms over her chest.

Darius nodded and turned pink. Tails joked, "Oh, no, he's choking again!" Darius glared at the kitsune, who shrugged innocently. Cosmo elbowed him. "Tails, he could have been seriously hurt!" she scolded. Tails rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on! You thought it was funny too! You gave him fair warning." Cosmo sighed, then giggled. "You know me so well."

Darius sighed. "Glad to know everyone cares about me." Shyra got up, stretched, then said, "Oh, don't worry Darius. We all love you... to death..." Nico snickered and tried to disguise it by coughing. Then he blinked. "Good night." he said. He fell over, snoring. Arctic stepped over to him. "Nico? Nico? Nico? Nico? Nico? Oh, shit, he did it again..."

Cosmo stared. "Don't just stand there, somebody do something!" Arctic waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about him. He tends to pass out when he gets comfortable. It's an aftereffect of something that happened to him a few years ago. Some wannabe warlock. He tried to use science to make things that looked like magic. Nico got gassed and it affected his brain."

Cosmo's eye twitched and Tails snickered. Shyra and Darius rolled their eyes and Tris facepalmed. "So _that's_ what happened." Tris groaned. "And here I was thinking it was a cat thing." Arctic giggled. "Yeah, Nico didn't say anything because when he got hit he was to busy making moony eyes at Chro-...ma..." She trailed off and got a sad look in her eyes.

Cosmo noticed the mood turn somber. "What happened?" Tails asked. Shyra stammered, "U-Uh... I think I'm going to go for a walk!" She darted off. "i'll go with her!" Tris darted after the bat. "I'll go babysit them!" Darius said, quickly following them. Arctic glared after them, then sighed. "Chroma was Nico's girlfriend. He loved her more than life itself.

"She was part of the original group. She came with us to fight that "warlock." Nico was talking to her when he got gassed. The gas was in something like a water balloon, but it was harder. It hit Nico dead in the temple. He was out cold before the gas got to him, so the gas screwed up his head. Chroma tried to protect him while Darius and I fought the wizard.

"He had a robotic chimera. That is, a creature with the front half of a lion, the back half of a goat, and a tail made of a snake. It breathed fire. Chroma was fighting it and we couldn't get to her in time. By the time we had taken out the warlock, the chimera had gotten past her guard and grabbed her throat. It snapped her little neck. She was dead before she hit the ground.

"Nico was horrified when he woke up covered in blood. He went into a rage. He destroyed that chimera without any help. We were too scared to do anything. We didn't want to get in Nico's way in case he lashed out. He turned it into scrapmetal. Then he went into the same faze Tails did, except that there was no way to bring her back. She was dead.

"Nico wouldn't let anyone near her body. He would point his gun at anyone who tried. I wound up having to take his gun away so that I could get close to him. He was so sad." Arctic's eyes turned cloudy, but she blinked it away. "He went into denial. He begged me to do something, to save her, but I couldn't. I'd never seen Nico like that. It took a while, but I finally managed to get him away from her body and get him back to camp.

"Everyone there swarmed us, looking so excited..." She trailed off, then a voice broke in, "And then they saw me." It was Nico. "They saw me, and then they saw Chroma. A day that should have been spent celebrating was spent grieving." Nico's voice wasn't bitter, just sad. "I wouldn't leave my house. I had turned my home into a prison. I didn't take care of myself.

"I would snap at anyone who tried to talk to me. Soon, the only person who kept trying was Arctic, and everyone thought she was foolish for doing so. Every time she visited me, she'd be more tired. People who thought she had lost her mind tried to get her to step down and let Darius lead us, but she refused. No one would leave her alone.

"She visited me every day. One day, one of the scouts came in to get her. He said that there was someone attacking us." Nico paused, remembering. "It was a trap. Everyone saw that no one could beat her in a fair fight, and six or seven who thought that she wasn't strong enough to be our leader anymore had tricked the scout into leading her into an ambush."

"Nico had thought that it was slightly suspicious, so he followed us. I was surrounded. They all attacked me at once. I wouldn't have gotten out of there if it weren't for Nico." Arctic said. Nico turned slightly pink. "Ah. You were doing fine. All I did was distract them." Arctic shrugged. "It still saved my ass. The ones who had attacked me weren't really rebels, though. We kicked them out and Nico tried to go back to hiding."

The silver and white fox glared at the black cat, who blushed as he explained, "I wound up getting the same scolding as Tails did, just worse. She went fucking crazy! She started yelling something about pulling my head out of my ass and realizing that Chroma was dead, and while there was nothing we could do about it, it was one thing to remember Chroma, but it was an insult to her memory to mope around like I'd been doing."

"And then Arctic put Nico's head through his door." Darius' voice broke in. Everyone turned to see the gray echidna standing with Shyra and Tris. The black bat giggled and said, "You would not believe how shocked everyone was. The three of us were standing on his porch because it was his birthday and we felt bad about leaving him alone so long."

"Darius went to knock and right below his fist, Nico's head burst through it!" Tris continued, laughing. "We all fell into a puddle. We couldn't stop laughing when Arctic opened the door and Nico was dragged with it. She said... What did she say?" Darius thought for a moment, then said, "She said, "Hey guys! I was just "knocking" some sense into Nico here. Come on in!" Like nothing had happened!"

Shyra snickered. "We told everyone what had happened to Nico and... Well, let's just say that no one has ever challenged Arctic again. I just wish I gotten it on camera." Tails and Cosmo blinked and exchanged a glance. A really sad story had a happy ending. ...More or less. But it was still nice to see that they could joke and laugh despite the circumstances.

Amy burst through the door without knocking. "Hey guys! Don't forget, the party's at six at my house!" She left without another word and everyone exchanged a glance. Arctic sniggered. "Well, who wants to go sledding?


	5. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4: Sledding Is Fun Until It "Snowballs" Into A Big Snow Fight...

this is it guys. the action starts here. **shadow:** uh... huh. **me:** bitch must i cut you with my katana? *draws aforementioned blade* **shadow:** *sighs* you love me too much to do that. **me:** i suppose so. CHAPTER 4!

Friday, December 24, 2042, 5:42 p.m. Mobius time

The Highest Hill The Group Could Find

Arctic laughed as Darius smacked headfirst into a tree. "I warned you not to go down face first!" she called as she slid past him. Shyra flew over to the echidna. The group had found a really tall hill around noon and had been there since. Arctic had used her katana's hilt to break ice into slabs, perfect for sledding on. Tails yelled in surprise as Nico crashed into him from behind, sending them both tumbling off of their makeshift sleds and rolling down the hill.

As they started rolling, snow stuck to them, turning them into a large snowball. They picked up speed and ran over Shyra, adding her to the giant snowball. Arctic glanced back and panicked. She used her hands to try and go faster. Cosmo, who was next to her, did the same thing. "I envy Tris, safe at the bottom!" shouted Arctic. Cosmo nodded, then gasped as Arctic shoved her sled to the side, narrowly saving her from being turned into a snowball.

Unfortunately for Arctic, this meant that _she_ was directly in it's path. She yelled as she was crushed and packed into the ball. Tails and Nico were starting to feel sick, and Arctic wasn't far from it. Tris, standing at the bottom of the hill, looked up in time to have the snowball crash into her. She was right next the Arctic, who grinned at her. "Hiya!"

Tris rolled her eyes, but before she could reply, the snowball crashed into a giant tree, sending the four occupants tumbling. Soon all that was visible was a giant pile of snow with a silver tail sticking out of the top. Arctic's head popped out from underneath of it and she blinked snow out of her eyes. She dragged her tail off of her head and shook it, getting rid of the snow in her ears.

Tails popped up next to her. Nico crawled out of the side, while Tris scrambled out of the bottom, shivering. Arctic laughed suddenly, startling everone before they joined in. Arctic climbed out of the snow drift and fell to the ground, holding her sides. "That... Was... Awesome!" she managed before breaking down into another fit of giggles. Shadow appeared next to her.

The black hedgehog stared at the silver and white fox in front of him. "You guys are idiots." he muttered after a moment. Arctic blinked up at him, then stood and shook the snow from her fur. "We are now, are we?" she asked. Shadow nodded. Arctic giggled and he stared at her, confused. "What-?" was as far as he got before she tackled him into the snow.

He gave a yell of surprise as she tossed snow into his face. "Hey!" he coughed. He laughed and threw snow back at her, wiping some from his eyes. "Take that!" he said. Arctic yelped, then shoved his head into the snow. "Hey!" Shadow yelled. He sat up, sending snow flying at the silver and white fox. She giggled at him. "Take what now?" she teased him.

He growled and stood up, then scooped up the startled fox. "Woah, hey, what are you doing?" she laughed. Shadow smirked, then dropped her into the snow drift. She didn't move. Shadow was immediately nervous. Had he dropped her on some ice or something? Was she okay? He hadn't hurt anyone for the past ten years-that he could remember-and he didn't really want to go back to hurting someone every five minutes.

"Arctic?" he asked. Her face was covered by snow, and her tail was limp. Shadow felt a prickle of guilt. "Come on, Ark, stop playing around." The silver and white fox didn't respond. Had Shadow hurt her? "Ark?" he asked, kneeling next to her. Without warning, she surged upwards and tackled him into the snow, sending them both rolling. Arctic rolled a few feet away from him and laughed.

She sat up. "Ha! I got you!" she told him, crossing her arms over her chest. Shadow pulled his face out of the snow and spat out a mouthful. "Okay, okay, I admit it. You got me." Arctic beamed. Tails and Nico, still half-buried in the snow, exchanged a glance. Shadow had admitted to something? And he laughed about it? And he didn't look like he was mad?

Tails blinked. Cosmo slid past the fox and the hedgehog, staring. She climbed up to Tails. "Is Shadow laughing or am I going crazy?" she muttered. Tails shrugged and stared at the two. "I have no idea, Cosmo. I think we're all going nuts." Sonic appeared, accompanied by a sonic boom. "Hey guys, you're going to be late for-" He broke off when he saw Shadow and Arctic laughing.

"Um... Not going to ask because I think I'm the only one who can see what I'm seeing." he said, stunned. "Anyway, come on! It's five fifty-nine! You know how Amy gets when people are late!" Everyone exchanged horrified glances. Shadow pulled out a Chaos emerald. Arctic grabbed his shoulder as he shouted, "Chaos Control!" They disappeared. Everyone stared.

"Did she just do that and not get brought back here?" Tails asked, blinking and rubbing his eyes. "I think the cold is going to my brain." Sonic said. "Anyway, let's go! Before Amy tries to kill us all."

Friday, December 24, 2042, 6:03 p.m. Mobius time

Amy Rose's House

Shadow materialized in Amy's living room with Arctic, causing Amy herself to leap into the air, along with Blaze and Silver. The Chaotix were there too. Vanilla and Cream had been the first to arrive. Many others were there too. Amy glared at the black and red hedhog and the silver and white fox. "You're late." Arctic giggled. "Long story which involves a giant snowball rolling down a hill and a scene that looked like it belonged in a really funny cartoon. And a quick stop at Wal-Mart."

Amy blinked. "So not going to ask. Where's everyone else?" Shadow shook his head, sending snow left and right. "They're coming." Amy nodded. Not a minute later, Tails showed up at the door, along with Cosmo, Sonic, Tris, Nico, Shyra, and Darius, the last one having a bloody nose. "There was a tree." he said when Amy gave him a strange look.

This did nothing to help the pink hedgehog's confusion, but she didn't ask questions. She threw a blanket over Cosmo before anyone could see her and led her to the kitchen. "Wait here!" she hissed. Tails and the others walked in and everyone stared at the kitsune. "Hi." he said awkwardly, waving. Cream broke the awkward silence that followed.

"Tails! You're not still locked in your house!" she yelled. Vanilla swatted her. "Don't be rude!" she scolded. She smiled at the orange fox. "It's good to see you around and about, Tails!" Tails grinned. "Thanks, Vanilla." The Chaotix moved over to him. Vector picked him up and gave him a large hug. "Glad to see ya!" He added in a whisper, "I think that this is a big step. Now we just have to get you a girl."

Tails' eyes widened. "Oh, no, Vector, I er... I kind of have someone." The crocodile's jaw dropped and he released the fox. "What? Why didn't you tell me? Who is the lucky lady? I'm so proud of you Tails! I thought you'd never move on from Cosmo!" Tails blinked. "Er-About that-" Before he could finish, Amy said, "Hey everybody! We've got a surprise for you!"

Everyone turned to see her standing outside of the kitchen. "Tails!" she called. The kitsune moved through the crowd to her. "Why don't you bring out our surprise guest?" Amy said. Tails walked into the kitchen. People started murmuring.

"Who do you think it is?"

"Is it someone everyone knows, or is it just someone Sonic's group knows?"

"Does it have to do with Sonic's new friends?"

"Is it Justin Bieber?"

Everyone glared at the little mouse who had asked this. "No one except for you likes that dirty bastard from Earth!" snapped a dog. A sparrow nodded. "I agree with him." More murmurs of agreement came. "Shut up!" Amy snapped. "No it is not Justin Bieber's gay ass!" The pink hedgehog turned. "You can bring her out now, Tails." The fox obeyed and walked out holding Cosmo's hand. Everyone stared at the Seedrian.

Silver smacked his head into a wall. "I knew I was going crazy! My mind is trying to make me think that the mystery guest is Cosmo! But she's dead!" Espio stared and looked as though he was trying not to pass out. "I thought so as well!" Vector blinked, then grinned. "So _that's_ the girl you were talking about earlier! Way to finally get your head out of your ass and get her to be your girlfriend, Tails!"

Tails turned pink and Cosmo smiled at him. "Tails. No blushing! You have no cause to be embarrassed." Tails nodded, though the pinkness didn't fade. Cosmo rolled her eyes. Blaze and Silver stared at her. Rouge walked through the door. "Hey everyone, the party can start now, cuz I'm here at last! And the party don't start till I walk in!" She looked around. "What's everybody staring-" She caught sight of Cosmo.

Her reaction, sadly enough, was the most normal of everyone's. "Wait a minute! Are you telling me that she was never dead? Tails was moping around these past ten years for no reason?!" Arctic moved forward. "Actually, she was dead, but now she's here. That's all you need to know unless Cosmo wants to say anything else about it." Cosmo blinked as everyone turned to her.

"Ask Silaya, she brought Cosmo back." Shadow called. Arctic glared at him. "Shut up!" she hissed. Shadow smirked at her. "This is why you don't throw snow at me." Arctic growled. "And this is why I'm going to tell Rouge why you left her in the parking lot. And then I'm going to shove a grenade up your ass and pull the pin!" She flashed a grenade hidden in the flap of her vest.

Shadow's eyes widened, but before he could say anything, Arctic was swarmed by a bunch of people with a million questions each. Shadow sighed and Shyra moved over to him. "She threatened you, didn't she?" The hedgehog nodded. "And she's going to carry it out soon?" Another nod. "And you're screwed over, aren't you?" A sigh, then a nod. "Then I wish you luck." The bat darted away.

Now that everyone had adjusted to Cosmo being back-more or less-they were talking to her like she had never left. Shadow sighed and walked over to the punch bowl. He sniffed it warily, remembering the last time there had been punch at a party. It smelled okay, so he tasted it. "Huh. Awesome. No vodka." He leaned against the wall and huffed, remembering that Rouge was going to kill him.

"Better enjoy life while-" was as far as he got before Rouge's voice screamed, "Shadow! I'm going to kill you!"

"Oh, shit!" the hedgehog hissed. He looked around, then saw the cupboard under the kitchen sink and hid in it. Arctic's voice came, "I don't see him. You don't think he got so scared he left, do you?" Rouge growled. "I don't know. I'm going to look for him." The sound of a door closing was heard. Arctic's head popped into the cupboard. "She's gone. Luckily for you, I actually have a conscience."

Shadow sighed in relief and climbed out. He froze like a dear caught in headlights. Rouge stood over him. Arctic snickered. "Who am I kidding. No I don't." Rouge grabbed him by the neck and comenced to shaking him and yelling something about destruction and death. Arctic blinked. "Wow. Payback really is a bitch." Shadow rasped something that sounded like, "Help... Meeee... Ark!"

Arctic paused, considering, then sighed. While this was entertaining, she couldn't let Rouge kill him, sadly. She pulled a dart from her vest and pricked the bat with it, who promptly fell over. Shadow gasped as Rouge's hands slipped from his neck. "I thought you said you were out of those." he said. Arctic grinned. "Whole 'nother potion, Shads."

Shadow blinked. "Note to self, never get on your bad side, because you are creepy. As. Fuck." The silver and white fox smirked and put the dart away. "Now you owe me two." Shadow facepalmed. She smirked at him and he grinned ruefully. "Alright, alright, I'll pay you back next time." Arctic grinned. "You'd better..." A scream that rose even above the throbbing music rang out and the two froze.

Arctic said quickly, "Get the others, I'll go check it out." Shadow Chaos Controlled as Arctic sprinted out, grabbing Darius as she passed him and charging out the door. When they burst outside, several people were fleeing as a robot that looked like a giant Metal Sonic came out of the forest, pushing a tree to the ground. Arctic's eyes widened. "Darius!" she hissed. "What's it doing here?"

Darius whispered, "This is it. This is why we came back. We can save our parents." Arctic snorted. "And keep ourselves from being born in the process." she muttered. Darius shrugged. "We're already screwed in that department." Before they could say anything else, the robot's hand turned into a machine gun that it pointed at a yellow falcon woman who's dress was caught beneath a large chunk of stone.

Arctic pulled out her katana. "Isn't this the thing that killed our parents?" Arctic asked Darius as the others joined them. Darius nodded. Arctic scowled and said, "Then it's going to regret it." Her fur began to darken. Her eyes turned a dark gray, until they looked like there was a storm inside them. Her aura became visible and turned white. Everyone stared in shock. Tails gasped, "She's...Dark?!" The fox's gray fur was now black, while the white had turned an ugly gray.

She drew her katana and charged forward, leaping in front of the falcon woman as the robot fired. She blocked the bullets with her katana and bracers, sending them right back at the 'bot. She swung the katana, ripping through the falcon's dress and freeing her. The woman thanked her multiple times, then fled as Arctic charged the robot. It was ready for her.

As she sliced at the legs, it swung it's hand, knocking her into the air and sending her crashing into the others. "A little help?" she growled as she stood, her voice sounding like she had swallowed glass. As she darted forward, the others followed. As the Sonic crew did what they did, Nico stayed back, shooting at the robot with his sniper. Shyra drew her pistols and shot at varied ranges.

Tris stood back as well, waiting in case someone was injured. As Nico and Shyra shot, they noticed something that made them both say, "Oh, shit." Their bullets bounced right off of the damned thing, hardly making a dent. Arctic, Darius, Sonic, and the others' attacks were doing nothing as well, but the robot was quickly exhausting them. Sonic attempted another spin-dash as Rouge drill kicked it. Shadow attempted Chaos Spear, while Vector breathed fire and Espio threw Shruikens(sp?).

Silver engulfed some of Blaze's flames with his telekinetic energy and flung it at the robot. It exploded like a grenade, but did no damage. Arctic snarled as it shot at her. She blocked the bullets with her blade and darted forward. What looked like oil crept up her legs, engulfing her entirely and making her look like a black fox. Her hand began glowing with white energy.

She let out a feral snarl. "Chaos _**BLAST!**_!" she shouted, her voice still rough like broken glass. She flung her hand against the robots chest as the energy went off. The backlash sent her flying. Everyone gaped at the giant dent in the bot's chest. Arctic was slammed to the ground with the force of the explosion. She groaned and sat up, clutching her head, then looked up sharply with a gasp as the robot started laughing.

"How is that thing still standing!?" Shadow snarled. Arctic growled and shakily stood, just as the robot turned on her. Darius facepalmed. "And now it knows she's a threat and will try to kill her. How cliche." The robot's arm turned into a machine gun and it started firing. Arctic flinched, then blocked swiftly. "Chaos Spear!" shouted Shadow, aiming for the dent Arctic had made.

Sonic spin-dashed it, Amy using her hammer to give him a boost, while Silver used a giant fist of telekinetic fury to smash at it. Blaze torched it in an attempt to melt the metal, and Rouge darted in and out, kicking furiously. Arctic not it's main concern any longer, it turned away and swatted at the Mobians attacking it. "Chaos Spear!" Shadow gave the final blow, sending Chaos energy straight through the robot's chest.

Bright beams of light began to shoot out from the robot. "Hit the deck! It's gonna blow!" Knuckles shouted. Everyone threw themselves on the ground, Silver throwing a telekinetic barrier over everyone. The explosion shook everyone to their core. They waited a moment, then rose to their feet. They regrouped next to the debris. Arctic groaned and stretched, her back popping loudly, then she relaxed.

She blinked and the blue slowly returned to her black eyes. Have you ever put a drop of food coloring in water and watched it without stirring it until the water was the color of the food coloring? That's how Arctic's eyes looked as the black drained from them. The black oil-like stuff dripped off of her fur like water, dripping to the ground like wet paint before vanishing.

As soon as the black was gone from the silver and white fox's fur, she fell to her knees, then fell forward. Nico shot forward. "Arctic!" he shouted. Sonic looked at Darius. "Is it not normal for her to be tired after going dark?" Darius looked worried. "Not _that_ tired. Normally she can stay on her feet or she kneels for a sec!" He darted forward, followed by Shyra and Tris.

Amy and Tails exchanged a glance before they and Sonic followed the others. Shadow had already joined them. "Well, what's wrong with her?" he asked. Arctic groaned and pushed herself to her hands and knees. "Nothing's wrong with me. I'm fine." she hissed. She got to her feet, one arm cradling her abdomen. "I'm fine." she repeated. There was a loud rumbling.

Tails looked up, then flew upwards. He almost fell right back down. "One of those robots is at my house!" he shouted angrily. Arctic's ears pricked. "We have to go. Now!" The fox turned to the others. "Let's go!" She raced off and the others followed her. When they reached Tails' house, the first thing they noticed was that the door had been blasted off of the hinges.

A fire started growing on Blaze as her anger rose and she quickly calmed herself. Arctic darted in first and the others heard her shout, "Get away from that!" The others raced in and saw a blue echidna wearing a green dress standing there. She jumped violently and turned her purple eyes to them. Tails shouted with fury when he saw what she had in her hands.

It was the crystal-like flower that Cosmo had resided in up until a week ago. "Put that back!" Arctic shouted, anger in her eyes. The echidna looked at the flower, then leaped out of the kitchen window. The group sprinted out of the door. The echidna climbed into the robot's hand and it flew off. The group stared after it, shocked. Cosmo ran down the street to them.

"What... Was that?" she panted. Arctic blinked. Tails looked away from his girlfriend angrily. "It was the flower. The one that grew from the seed you came back from." Cosmo's eyes widened in horror and tears filled them. "What? No!" Tails blinked. "I'm angry too. We'll get it back. Don't cry!" Cosmo covered her face. "I'm so sorry! I should have told you sooner, but I didn't know what to say and I didn't know when it would fully bloom but-"

Tails grabbed her wrist and pulled them away from her face. "Cosmo! Cosmo, look at me! What's wrong?" Arctic growled, staring angrily after the robot. "That flower was-" Darius slapped his hand over her mouth. "Let Cosmo tell him." he hissed. Cosmo took and shuddering breath. "The flower was our child!" she sobbed. Tails' eyes widened.

"Our what now?" Cosmo covered her face again. "Our child. I didn't want to say anything because I didn't know when it would be fully grown. Most seeds take six or seven years to mature before they can become whatever their parents are." Tails blinked. "...Wow. Just... Wow. I'm a dad and I didn't even know it." Arctic smacked him upside the head.

"Idiot! Your child was just abducted!" Tails blinked. "Um... Chaos, Cosmo, you could have told me whenever you wanted. You didn't have to keep it from me." Cosmo sobbed. "I know and I wanted to tell you, but we're young and it takes years for a seed to mature and I was scared of what you would think!" Tails hugged her. "I wouldn't have thought any different of you. Just... How did that happen?"

Cosmo wiped her eyes. "Well the seed I gave you... Most Seedrians always have one. I didn't really know the specifics until I was a flower. Anyway, a Seedrian can give the seed to someone as a symbol of trust. You pricked your finger on one of the thorns once, right?" Tails nodded.

Cosmo continued, "That's how you became the dad, but since I wanted Sonic to give it to you, it wouldn't have happened to anyone else. The seed was already a part of me, and when your blood touched it, it had the other half it needed. It would only have turned into an official little Seedrian or fox if both parents had wanted a child, but its consciousness would have formed anyway."

Tails blinked. "So it could become a Seedrian or a fox?" Cosmo nodded. "Or a hybrid. But those are rare. A seed is rarely given to anyone except a fellow Seedrian." Tails blinked again. "Holy shit. We have to get that flower back." He looked at Cosmo. "Quick question. Boy or girl?" Cosmo thought for a moment. "I'm pretty sure a boy. His conscious mind was just starting to form when I last touched the flower, though, so I don't know."

Arctic's eye twitched and she hissed to Darius, "What the fuck? Did we come to a different dimension instead of a different time?" Darius shrugged. "I'm just as weirded out as you are. My mom dated _Shadow_ of all people. Kind of creepy." Arctic shrugged. "No different than the fact that Nico's parents aren't even dating yet." The echidna and the fox's gazes inadverdently turned to Blaze and Silver.

Darius blinked. "And when is Espio going to meet Tris' mom? And when is Mom going to date my dad?" Arctic shrugged. "We probably shouldn't talk about things that haven't happened yet, in case they overhear us." Darius shrugged. "I think we screwed ourselves in that case already." Arctic paused. "Still. But if that seed was a boy, how am I a girl?" Darius blinked. "Good question."

Shadow turned to them "Any idea what that echidna would want with Cosmo and Tails' baby?" Arctic's eyes widened. "Oh, fuck. Why didn't I think of that?" Everyone turned to her and she explained, "The child of the last Seedrian. Can you imagine how much power someone could get from that? How powerful the child would be?" Everyone's eyes widened.

"But Eggman's been on semi-good behavior and the Metarex are gone." Sonic said. "Tris!" Arctic snapped. "Did you find anything when you searched the Metarex?" Tris reached into a bag on her hip and pulled out a small chip, along with a small screen. Arctic put the chip into a port and information popped up on the screen.

She scrolled through it, then read aloud, "...Testing the strength of Sonic and Co. The Metarex we found and reprogrammed-" She broke off and yelped as the screen sparked and smoked. She dropped it and it exploded, sending shards of metal everywhere. Arctic gasped and her hand flew to her stomach. Shadow looked at her. "What is it?" he demanded. "Nothing." the silver and white fox growled.

Shadow rolled his crimson eyes and focibly pulled her hand away from her stomach. Blood dripped from a ragged hole. Shadow growled. "You were shot earlier, then you got hit with that metal. Right?" Arctic looked away. "Maybe." she hissed. Shadow rolled his eyes. "Why do you have to be so damn stubborn? We could have-"

Arctic cut him off, "Gotten me to a hospital? But then we wouldn't know what happened to the flower." Shadow huffed and Tails said, "Well, now we know. Are we going to stand around until you bleed out or get some help?" Tris rolled her eyes. "Um... Hello? Healer, anyone?" Arctic glared. "I'm fine." she yanked her hand away from Shadow. "Hands off."

Sonic leaned over to Darius. "Is she normally like this?" Darius shook his head. "No, normally she'll go straight back to normal." Shadow sighed. "Come on, Ark, chill out and let Tris help you." Silaya rolled her eyes. "There's another thing. What's with the nickname? No one else calls me Ark. It's not cute, if that's what you're going for." Darius blinked.

"I think she's delirious. She doesn't normally have a problem with nicknames. Before the war, everyone called her Laya." Arctic whipped around. "But the war is over now, right? That's what you said? You don't have to respect me like that anymore, remember?! So talk to me like before!" The black bat looked taken aback. She opened and closed her mouth, then shook her head.

Nico took a step forward. "But Arctic, I believe that-" Arctic glared at him. "Enough with the formalities. We're not at war anymore. Talk to me like before!" Nico blinked. It had been so long, he didn't even know howhe had talked to her. This seemed to agitate Arctic further. "See? _See?_ The war has messed up _everything!_ People who are my friends talk to me like I'm above them instead of as equals! That's not right!" she wailed, eyes wide.

She gasped and put her hands on her stomach. She closed her eyes and whispered, "That's not right." Nico stared at her, eyes sad. Tails strode forward. Darius grabbed his shoulder. "What the hell are you doing? You'll get yourself killed!" Tails shook his head. "I'm doing the same thing for her that she did for me." Darius stared at him as he yanked his arm away and continued towards Arctic.

"That little idiot has a death wish!" he said, sounding slightly indignant for some reason. Shyra's eye twitched. "He's fucked, and Arctic with him. She's going to kill him and negate her existence." Nico nodded. Tails crossed his arms. "Arctic! Just because a war causes one person (or more, in your case) to leave your life doesn't mean you go and leave everyone else who cares about you! Think about-hurk!"

He choked. Arctic's free hand had shot up and grabbed him by the throat. "Don't you _dare_ preach my own advice to me you little bitch." she said. What made it scary was not the fact that she had Tails by the throat, but more the fact that she spoke as though she didn't care one way or the other. "I know how my friends would feel. But I'm not planning to just stop living. But one thing I won't do is rest until I have revenge on whoever started the war."

Darius' eyes widened. "I know what's going on! Shadow, grab her!" The hedgehog looked surprised and before he could do anything, Arctic threw Tails into Cosmo and sprinted off. Tails scrambled to his feet. "What the hell's with her?" he shouted. Darius snarled, "Her dark form is still in control. She probably lost consciousness after her dark form left, courtesy of the fact that she'd been shot, and since it hadn't been long, it managed to slowly take over."

Shadow took off after the silver and white fox. He'd seen what Sonic could do when he went dark, and it wasn't pretty. And that was when he actually had partial control. If Arctic's dark form had total control of her body, it wouldn't be good. He was jolted from his thoughts by an arrow flying at him. He barely managed to jump out of the way. He heard boots clacking on concrete and saw a shadow move down an alley.

He sprinted in that direction. He took off down the alley, dodged an arrow, and stared at Arctic, who was standing at the end of the alley, staring at the wall blocking her escape. She whipped around and pointed an arrow at him. He barely dodged it. Arctic panicked and drew another arrow, but this time she pressed it to her own throat. "Don't move!" she growled, her voice distorted. "Or I'll kill my host!"

Shadow put his hands behind his head. Arctic relaxed slightly. "Now back away." Shadow took a step back. Hands still behind his head, he reached into his quills and touched his Chaos emerald. "Chaos Control." he hissed. He vanished from sight. Arctic stared, confused, but then Shadow appeared behind her. He grabbed the arrow, tossed it to the side, then held her hands behind her back.

He took her hands in one of his, then pinched her neck. Her eyes widened, then she slumped over, unconscious. Shadow threw her over his shoulder carelessly and started walking. "Now I owe you _one_." he told her unconscious form. "I kept your dark form from killing you." He snickered, despite the circumstances, as he continued back to the others, who were still staring in the direction Arctic had run off in like idiots.

"What did you do to her?!" shouted Nico. Darius grabbed his arms before he could do something incredibly stupid and held him back. "Probably the same thing I want to do to you." the dark gray echidna muttered. A light bulb seemed to go off above his head and he pinched Nico's neck. The cat fell over. Darius grinned and threw Nico over his shoulder. "And _that_ my friends, is how it is done."

Shadow tossed Arctic's unconcious body into the snow. "Somebody snap her out of the dark thing." he said. Tris rolled her eyes. "She'll probably be fine soon. I'll just take care of her wounds." A few minutes later, Arctic had a bandage wrapped around her midsection. Tris handed a bullet and a piece of sharp metal wrapped in a piece of cloth to Shadow. "Throw that away."

Shadow rolled his eyes and handed the cloth to Sonic. "Throw this away, Faker." There was a sonic boom as the blue hedgehog threw it away in less than two seconds. His image seemed to hardly flicker. Tails crossed his arms and scoffed. "Show off..." Shyra and Darius rolled their eyes. Tris sighed. "There's nothing else we can do here. Let's get Arctic to Tails' house and then whoever wants to can go back to Amy's party."


	6. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5: Me? Worried? Pfft!

**shadow:** that was a dumb chapter **me:** shut up. or ill go back and make it so that you die. **shadow:** *gulps* so much for me being one of your faves. **me:** you are, but you irritate me sometimes. like when you tried to kill cosmo. **shadow:** I DIDNT WANT TO! SEGA MADE ME! it was in the script that way. **me:** anyway... NEXT CHAPTER EVERYBODY!

Friday, December 24, 2042, 7:21 p.m. Mobius time

Tails' House

Darius stared at Arctic, who still hadn't woken up. Tris smacked him. "Ow! What the hell was that for!" Tris glared at him. "You're staring at her a wolf might stare at venision. Get your ass up and go to Amy's party!"

"But I-

"No buts!" Tris snapped. "Nico, Shyra, Shadow, Tails, and Cosmo have been gone for a while. I just came back. Go. Now." She had one of Arctic's daggers in her hand. Darius gulped and left.

Friday, December 24, 2042, 7:24 p.m. Mobius time

Amy Rose's House

Shadow sighed as he leaned against the wall. "If you're that worried about her, go check on her. Darius could use a break." It was Tris. Shadow blinked. "Me? Worried? Pfft!" he scoffed. Tris rolled her eyes. "Okay. If not worried, then curious." Shadow shrugged. "Tris!" It was Darius. "What are you doing here?" Tris turned and stared at the echidna.

"I could ask you the same question! I thought you were with Silaya?" Darius blinked. "You came and told me to go to the party." Tris stared at him. "I never left the party, Darius." Shadow stopped them. "So wait, if you're both here, who's with Arctic?" Tris and Darius exchanged horrified glances. Shadow let out a hissing breath. "Get the gang. I'll meet you there."

The two nodded and darted off. Shadow pulled out his Chaos emerald and sighed. This was turning out to be a crummy Christmas. He glanced over and saw that there was mistletoe under the doorway. He would just have to shove a couple of guys under there. That or a one-sided loving couple. He grinned, the thought cheering him. "Chaos Control!"

Friday, December 24, 2042, 7:27 p.m. Mobius time

Tails' House

Shadow appeared outside the door of Tails' house. He tried the doorknob to find that it was unlocked. He popped his head inside and stared for a moment. What looked like a shadowy version of Arctic had her hand in the normal-looking Arctic's chest and seemed to be merging with her. Shadow rubbed his eyes, then, seeing how he could still see that image, shouted, "Get away from her!"

The shadowy Arctic jumped. Concentration lost, she pulled away from the real Arctic, who seemed to relax. Shadow snarled and darted forward, swinging his fist at the shadow. She leaped back and laughed. "You can't hit a shadow, Shadow!" Her form distorted until she looked like a pure black Shadow. "You of all people should know this!"

Shadow ignored the changing form and swung a punch at it. Shadow-Shadow snarled and hit real-Shadow in the face. "But a shadow can hit you!" shadow-Shadow hissed. Real-Shadow snarled. He waited until shadow-Shadow swung again, then grabbed it's fist and threw it into the wall. Real-Shadow smirked as shadow-Shadow got up and growled at him.

The door, which had been replaced by Darius, flew open, announcing the arrival of Tails, Shyra, Tris, Darius, Sonic, Knuckles, Silver, Blaze, and Amy. Silver used his telekinesis to grab the shadow, which immediately panicked and tried to escape. Then it seemed to melt. It dripped to the floor, then reformed again, this time as a shadow-Amy. It smirked and pulled out a hammer. "Things just got a lot more interesting."

Shadow growled and stepped back, accidentally tripping over Arctic. Her head shot up. "Hzzzuh?! I'm up!" she shouted. She looked around and her gaze fell on the shadow-Amy. She moaned. "Not you again!" she complained. "How come you always pop up? Huh? Can't you leave me alone for more than two months? Chaos! I was wondering why bad images kept popping into my head! Mainly creepy ones."

The silver and white fox shivered. Then she blinked and glared at the shadow. "This is going to end the same way it always does." The shadow-Amy laughed. "Oh no. I'm _much_ more powerful now." Arctic rolled her eyes. "That's what you said two months ago. And two months before that, and two months before that, and two months before that, and two months before that..."

The shadow snarled as it began to change again. "Silence! You may have defeated me before, but-" Arctic interrupted, "But you, Mephiles, King of Shadows, shall prevail over my weak and frail mortal form, et cetera, et cetera, die." Mephiles' eye twitched as he began looking like he had the time he was defeated: a showy version of Shadow.

"You insolent mortal! I shall destroy you, Silaya "Arctic" P-" Arctic darted forward before the shadow could finish, spinning in a three sixty and using her tail to smack the king of shadows. Shadow blinked. "What the-? Mephiles?! Not this dick!" Mephiles hit the wall from Arctic's blow and snarled angrily. He moved to attack, but Arctic dodged quickly.

Mephiles grabbbed her tail as he flew past, ripping the green ribbon off of it and revealing two silky, fluffy tails. Arctic blinked, horror in her eyes. Tails stared at her. "You're a..." Sonic finished in just as stunned a tone, "..._kitsune?_" Shadow stared, along with Knuckles, Silver, Blaze, and Amy. Arctic winced. "Yeah. Sorry I didn't tell you about that. You see, the place we left, multiple-tailed foxes weren't exactly... Welcome."

Tails blinked. "There are _more_?" Arctic shook her head. "No. Even if there was, they would have been shot on sight. By multiple-tailed foxes I meant my father and I. We pissed off the wrong people in the center of an inter-galactic war." Sonic tipped his head to the side. "We haven't had news of any war." Darius shrugged. "It's too far away for you guys to need to hear about."

There were several nods at this. Shadow blinked. "_That's_ why your tail always seemed too poofy! There's been two this whole time!" Mephiles interrupted, "If you're quite finished..." Arctic turned just as the king of shadows sprang forward, punching the silver and white fox in the jaw. Arctic snarled and drew her bow. She felt in her quiver for a moment, then pulled out a black arrow. She fired.

The arrow hit Mephiles in the center of the chest. He looked down and growled loudly. "Damn you." he snarled. He ripped it out just as part of his form began to evaporate. The arrow turned to dust as Mephiles snarled. "That actually hurt. A lot." He growled and turned away. "I'll be back!" He disappeared. Arctic rolled her eyes. "I wonder if he realizes that he's not the Terminator?"

There were several grins as Arctic began to go back to her cheery self. She smirked. "So, we going back to the part-Wait a second." She looked around. "What happened to the exploded-ded robot? Why are we in Tails' place? Why-?"

~*Several(hundred) questions and a long explanation later*~

"And that's everything." Tails concluded. Arctic nodded. "Got it. Here I was thinking Mephiles had been in the robot." Shadow, whom no one had noticed, was getting ready to poor a water bottle on Sonic's head. He tipped his hand and immediately the other hedgehog started screaming bloody murder as the water spilled all over his quills.

"Help! I can't swim! I'm drowning!"

Friday, December 24, 2042, 8:32 p.m. Mobius time

Amy Rose's House

Shadow leaned against the wall again, this time smirking. Arctic raised and eyebrow at him. "Is something funny?" Shadow made a "wait for it" motion. Silver and Blaze walked past them, into the kitchen. "Silver! Blaze!" Shadow snapped. They stopped and he pointed upwards. The pair looked up at the doorway and immediately turned bright pink. Mistletoe dangled above their heads.

Arctic burst into laughter. Silver scratched the back of his head. Then Blaze did something no one expected. She leaned up and planted a kiss on his lips, then kept walking. Shadow and Silver's jaws hit the ground, while Arctic just laughed harder. "Oh Chaos! Males are so oblivious. Go after your girl, Silver! Ask her out!" Arctic urged him.

Silver nodded, dazed, and took off after Blaze. Arctic rolled her eyes. "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot." Shadow stared at her. "Uh-What?" The silver and white fox grinned. "It's the miltary phonetic alphabet. Look at the first letters of those." Shadow thought for a moment. "WTF?" he said finally. "Precisely. WTF. What does that stand for?" Shadow looked confused. "What the fu... Oh! I see."

His gaze cleared and he facepalmed. "Duh." Arctic elbowed him. "Feel stupid yet?" He rolled his eyes at her. She just grinned. "Ha. Suck it." Shadow blinked and inadverdently looked down. "Shadow, I don't really-Oh, fuck it, it's Christmas. People are allowed to be idiots." Shadow raised an eyebrow. "And where's my present?" he asked. She smiled at him. "Right here."

She punched him in the face. Not a serious punch, but it was enough to make him stumble back in surprise. "What the-" he broke off as he crashed into somebody. He turned around to see Knuckles. "Oh, Shadow!" Arctic singsonged. She pointed up. Shadow followed her gaze and gulped. Mistletoe hung in the doorway, directly above him and Knuckles.

"Oh, fuck." the echidna said, eye twitching. Arctic gave a sharp whistle and everyone turned. Then they started chanting, "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" led by Arctic. Shadow glared at her. Knuckles panicked. "Wait a minute! What if I choose someone to take my place?!" Everyone stopped chanting and stared. Amy thought for a moment. "Okay, but then Shadow can't have a replacement!"

The pink hedgehog looked excited. "Pick someone." Knuckles blinked. He darted over to Arctic, the closest person, and shoved her into Shadow. The echidna then proceded to run off, shouting, "Yes! I don't have to look gay in front of anyone despite the fact that I'm straighter than a nail!" Arctic glared after him. Once again, everyone started chanting, "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"

Shadow smirked. "Not so fun on the recieving end, is it?" Arctic raised an eyebrow. "You do notice that _you_ are still on the recieving end as well, right?" Shadow blinked and gulped. "Oh, fuck..." Amy shouted, "Just kiss already!" Sonic, standing next to the punch bowl, made a mental note to be wary of the kitchen doorway. Arctic rolled her eyes at the crowd, but they just shouted louder.

Shadow opened his mouth to say something, but before he could get the words out, Arctic stood on her tiptoes and put her face close to his. She blinked and said, "Not happening." Then she winked and walked off, twin tails waving behind her, as though nothing had happened, saying, "I could really go for a Pepsi right now." Amy blinked. "Holy shit. She just... walked off. They didn't _kiss!_" Ha. Didn't she wish they had?

But the crowd didn't hear this, and cheering and whistling rose up. Shadow simply stared after the silver and white fox, dumbfounded. "Huh." was the only thing he said. He returned to his position leaning against the wall. "I have to admit." he muttered to himself. He looked up.

"That was pretty damn funny."

Friday, December 24, 2042, 9:48 p.m. Mobius time

Amy Rose's House

Amy shouted, "Okay everyone! Time for the Secret Santa gift exchange. You all know who you got, so give it to them!" Everyone pulled out the presents and found who they had gotten them for. Sonic walked over to Cream and said, "I heard you saying that you wanted this." Cream unwrapped the present to reveal a big cream-colored bow. Cream beamed at Sonic.

"Here, let me help you with that." the blue blur said, tying the bow to one of the rabbit's ears. Cream hugged him. "Thanks, Sonic!" she said. Sonic grinned as she darted off to find her reciever. Tails tapped him on the shoulder. Sonic turned and Tails handed him a box. "Here. I made these for you." Sonic opened it to find a pair of shoes. He blinked. "Thanks, Tails."

Tails grinned. "I added a few things to them. They can filter air through them, kind of like Shadow's, and give you a little boost, keeping your feet cool at the same time. They also have something to put a _spring_ in your step." Sonic blinked as Tails grinned and slipped into the crowd. Blaze and Silver walked up and started talking at the same time. "Here's your-" They broke off and Blaze beckoned Silver to go first.

He handed her a small box and she opened it. On the inside, a small silver pendant with a garnet set in the middle glinted up at her. Blaze stared at it and Silver explained, "It'll help you control your flames." Blaze blinked up at him. "I love it!" she said. She handed him a box that was only slightly larger. He opened it and gaped. "You found my dad's ring!"

Blaze nodded. "Yeah. You left it on the Blue Typhoon (in the future). It took forever to convince Tails to let me look." Silver hugged her. "Thank you so much Blaze!" Blaze blinked, then hugged him back.

On the other side of the room, Arctic leaned against the wall, scanning the crowd. Shadow walked up to her. "Merry Christmas!" he said, pulling her katana from behind his back. Arctic took it and blinked. Shadow motioned for her to unsheathe it. She did and she gasped. "You shined it up!" The hedgehog grinned. "I borrowed a few cleaning supplies from Tails. He only uses them on his "finest" machines."

Arctic beamed. "Thanks!" she said, slipping the blade into her bag. She paused. "Wait a minute. How did you get it?" Shadow rolled his eyes. "You left your weapons except for your concealed ones at Tails' like an idiot." She chuckled nervously. "Oh. Right." Shadow turned to leave, but she stopped him. "Wait a minute." She reached into her bag and pulled out a set of dogtags.

She tossed the at him and he caught them one-handed. "I figured a wannabe badass would want a pair of these." she teased. Shadow rolled his eyes, but put them on anyway. "Thanks." he said. A little ways away, Cosmo walked up to Tails and cleared her throat. Tails turned and grinned. "Hey." Cosmo smiled, eyes twinkling, and pulled a large box from behind her back. Tails opened it and gaped.

"You were talking about needing a new toolset." Cosmo explained. "I found the biggest one there was." Tails grinned and kissed her cheek. "Thanks, Cos." he said. Cosmo nodded, beaming. Tails pulled a box from behind his back. "I pulled out two names." he explained. He handed her the box and she opened it. It was a multi-pack of flower seeds. "I figure come spring we can start a garden." Tails said.

He pulled out a second box. "And I found this about a month ago. I bought it because it reminded me of you. " Cosmo opened the box. A green pendant glinted up at them. Stone vines twisted across the surface, with flowers of turquoise and ruby for violets and roses. "It's not great, I know." Tails said. "I couldn't find a chain for it, but-" Cosmo threw her arms around him and planted a kiss on his lips.

When she pulled away, he swayed, dazed. "Wow." he said, blinking. Arctic, having seen this, pointed it out to Shadow and snickered. Shadow laughed, then pointed out Amy clinging to Sonic, who was trying to flee. Arctic looked around, then pointed to Blaze, who was kissing Silver passionately. It was kind of creepy, mainly because Silver looked like he was going to literally melt. Shadow grinned. "Feel like a stalker yet?"

"Do _you?_" Arctic demanded. They were seeing who could go the longest without feeling like a creep. Shadow turned seventy-five degrees and his eye twitched. "_Now_ I feel like a stalker." he said, pointing. Rouge was trying to start a make-out session with Knuckles. Julie-Su noticed them and fled, crying. Then Knuckles pulled away and started swearing at Rouge, who pulled out a bottle of vodlka.

Arctic blinked. "Rouge is drunk. That explains a lot, actually. Though not why she was kissing Julie-Su's now ex-boyfriend." Shadow nodded. "You think we should stick up for him when the time comes?" The hedgehog and the fox exchanged a glance, then said at the same time, "Nah!" Arctic giggled. "You lost." Shadow thought for a minute, then cursed. "Fuck. You're right."

Saturday, December 25, 2042, 10:42 a.m. Mobius time

Amy Rose's House

Arctic sat up and yawned, then looked around. "Where am I?" she muttered. The place was trashed. The last thing she remembered was drinking some punch. She turned to see that Shadow was laying next to her on the floor, snoring. Several others were passed out as well. To her shock, she saw Sonic tangled up in tinsel and Christmas lights, suspended from the ceiling.

Tails was hanging by his namesakes from the fridge while Cosmo was laying on the floor below him. Arctic sat up and looked around to see Silver sleeping with a toaster while Blaze curled up next to him. Amy was lying on the couch, holding a pillow that looked suspiciously like Sonic. Rouge was on top of the ceiling fan's blades, a bottle of vodka in her hand.

Darius and Shyra were curled up on the kitchen counter while Nico was hanging by his feet in the doorway by the mistletoe. Tris was asleep with her face in the punch bowl. Worried, Arctic darted over and pulled her head out. After checking that the lizard was alive, the silver and white fox layed her friend on the floor, then straightened and looked around.

The Chaotix were a giant heap of scales and fur. There was a groan from Shadow as he sat up and looked around. "What the fuck happened last night?" Arctic walked over to him. "That's what she said." she said, helping the dizzy black hedgehog stand. Shadow shook his head at her. "Ha, ha, Ark, very funny." He looked at her. "Do _you_ remember anything?"

She shook her head. "Nah-uh. Wish I did. It looks like we had fun." Arctic shrugged. "The last thing I remember is the punch." Shadow facepalmed, then looked up at Rouge, still asleep on the fan blades. "I blame her. I remember the last time she had vodka at a party." he muttered. Arctic paused, then her eyes lit up. "Wait a minute! I have a camera! Maybe I recorded something."

Shadow leaned over her shoulder as she pulled out the aforementioned object and turned it on. "Yes! This is new!" She pressed the play button and they stared at the screen in shock.

Friday, December 24, 2042, 10:21 p.m. Mobius time

Amy Rose's House

Recording

(what shadow and arctic are doing in reality)

Arctic giggled and handed the camera to Darius. "Watch this!" she said, cheeks flushed. Darius took the camera and grinned. "What are you going to do?" Arctic smirked. "I'm going to get Shadow to sing."

(Shadow gaped at Arctic, who shrugged. "Don't look at me. Clearly, I was drunk.")

Darius pointed the camera at the silver and white fox as she pulled out Amy's kareoke machine. She picked a song by a band called Owl City from Earth, then darted over to Shadow. "Hey Shadow you know how you owe me one riiiiiiiiight?" The black and red hedgehog turned and sighed. "What do you want?" Arctic smirked and grabbed his hand, then dragged him over to the machine. "Ta-da! You're going to sing with me."

"I'm going to do what now?" Shadow asked, stunned. Arctic thrust a microphone at him and turned on a projector, which put the lyrics of the song on the wall. Shadow stared. "Uuh-" Arctic glared at him and he shut up. Arctic played the song and Shadow sighed, then started singing.

(**shadow**, _arctic_, _**both**_) (shadow: i still cant believe you're making me do this. do you hate me? me: *hugs* no. if i hated you i would have had you get shot instead of me. shadow: *gulps*)

_I'm friends with the monster thats under my bed_

_Get along voices inside of my head_

_You're trying to save me, stop holding your breath_

_And you think im crazy, yeah, you think I'm crazy (crazy)_

Shadow blinked at the silver and white fox as she stared at him with twinkling eyes. She was pretty good, he'd admit, but why was _he_ doing this? Anyone else he would have punched in the face for even suggesting this, but he found himself actually...dare he say it..._enjoying_ this.

**I wanted the fame but not the cover of Newsweek, oh well**

**Guess beggars can't be choosy**

**Wanted to recieve attention for my music**

**Wanted to be left alone in public, excuse me**

**For wanting my cake and eating it to, for wanting it both ways**

**Fame made me a balloon, cuz my ego inflated**

**When I blew, see, but it was confusing**

**Cause all I wanted to do is be the Bruce Lee of loose leaf**

Arctic stared at Shadow. Who would have thought he was this good of a singer? He actually looked pretty good with a mic... _Woah._ Arctic scolded herself. _Down girl._ She almost laughed at the thought and smiled at the black hedgehog. Wait a sec... Was he _blushing?_ Wow, was she glad that she had asked Darius to record this. They probably wouldn't remember anything in the morning.

_Abused ink_

_Used it as a tool when I blew steam_

_(Oh) Hit the lottery, oh wee_

_But with what I gave up to get was bittersweet_

_It was like winnin a used mink_

_Ironic cause I'm gettin so huge I need a shrink_

_I'm beginning to loose sleep, one sheep, two sheep_

_Going cuckoo and kooky as kool keith_

_But I'm actually weirder than you think_

_Cause I'm_

**I'm friends with the monster thats under my bed**

**Get along voices inside of my head**

**You're trying to save me, stop holding your breath**

**And you think im crazy, yeah, you think I'm crazy**

_Well that's not fair!_

**Well that's not fair!**

Shadow blinked as lights started twinkling and turned to see Tails holding Cosmo by the waist as she put a disco ball up. Arctic grinned at them and Tails gave a thumbs up. Shadow rolled his eyes.

(Shadow and Arctic looked up at the disco ball, then snickered.)

_No I ain't much of a poet but I know somebody told me to seize the moment and don't squander it_

_Cause you never know when it could all be over tomorrow so I keep conjurin_

_Sometimes I wonder where these thoughts spawn from_

**(Yeah ponder it, do you want this? No wonder you're loosin your mind, the way it wanders)**

_Yodel-odel-ay-hee-hoo_

_I think you've been wanderin off down yonder_

_And stumbled onto Jeff VanVonderen_

**Cause I need an interventionist**

**To intervene between me and this monster**

**And save me from myself and all this conflict**

**Cause the very thing that I love's killin me and I can't conquer it**

**My OCD's conking me in the head**

**Keep knockin, nobody's home, I'm sleepwalking**

**I'm just relayin what the voice in my head's sayin**

**Don't shoot the messenger, I'm just-**

_I'm friends with the monster thats under my bed_

**Get along voices inside of my head**

_You're trying to save me, stop holding your breath_

**And you think im crazy, yeah, you think I'm crazy**

_Well that's not fair!_

_Well that's not fair!_

Everyone was crowded around them as they sang/rapped, clearly having fun. Rouge whistled and smashed her bottle of vodka over the nearest person's head, which was Sonic's, and pulled out a new one as the blue hedgehog fell over. She looked at him, then hung him up in the Christmas lights and turned them on, making the disco ball sparkle even more.

**Call me crazy but I have this vision**

_One day that I'll walk amongst you, a regular civilian_

**But until then drums get killed**

**And I'm comin straight at MCs, blood get spilled**

_And I take it back to the days that I get on a Dre track_

_Give every kid that got played at, pumped up feeling_

_And shit to say back to the kids who play 'em_

_I ain't here to save the fucking children_

_But if one kid out of a hundred million_

_Who are going through a struggle feels and then relates, that's great_

**It's payback Russel Wilson falling way back in the draft**

**Turn nothing into something still can make that straw into into gold chump**

**I will spin, Rumpelstilskin in a haystack**

**Maybe I need a straight-jacket face facts, I am nuts for real but I'm okay with that**

**It's nothing I'm still**

_Friends with the monster thats under my bed_

_Get along voices inside of my head_

_You're trying to save me, stop holding your breath_

_And you think im crazy, yeah, you think I'm crazy_

_I'm friends with the monster thats under my bed_

**(get along with)**_Get along voices inside of my head_

**(you're trying to)**_You're trying to save me, stop holding your breath_

**(and you think)**_And you think im crazy, yeah, you think I'm crazy_

_**Well that's not fair!**_

_**Well that's not fair!**_

Shadow decided to make things interesting. Arctic gave a short gasp of surprise as he lifted her up and sat her on his shoulder. She giggled. (Arctic stared in horror. She looked at Shadow, who's eye was twitching violently.) Arctic giggled coyly and stood up, the sprang off, twisting in the air and landing on one hand, then doing a back handspring and smirking.

(Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Show off.")

Blaze whistled and pointed up. Shadow looked to see mistletoe. _Oh, fuck, not again..._ he thought. Arctic leaned forward, gave Shadow a kiss on the cheek, then smacked him on the back of his head as she walked away, tails waving behind her. "Don't be a perve." she giggled. Amy darted forward and started singing something about good girls not being good for you, but there was no music, and she seemed to be the drunkest out of everyone, so her voice came out as a screech.

Tris clamped a hand over the hedgehog's muzzle. "Dude... Shut the fuck up."

Saturday, December 25, 2042, 10:46 a.m. Mobius time

Amy Rose's House

Arctic and Shadow exchanged a horrified glance as the silver and white fox hurriedly shut off the camera. "Want to pretend that never happened?" she asked. Shadow nodded, eye twitching. "What were you thinking?" he demanded, gagging. Arctic shrugged and put the camera away. "Probably nothing. I'm guessing that we were all drunk and I went crazy."

Shadow shrugged. Amy started groaning and Arctic flattened her ears, eyes wide. "Quick! Pretend to be unconscious!" They both fell over and pretended to be asleep. Ironically enough, Arctic fell with her head on Shadow's chest. She turned slightly pink, but they both slowed their breathing until it looked like they were really just sleeping.

A loud voice suddenly screeched, "What the hell happened to my _house?!_" Arctic squeezed her eyes shut tightly and Shadow winced inwardly. Glass shattered somewhere. Amy got up and looked around, eyes wide. She looked up and saw Rouge with the vodka. "Rouge!" There was a loud crash as the startled bat woke up abruptly and fell to the ground.

"What the hell, Princess?" Rouge spat. "I was sleeping! I have one helluva headache..." Amy snarled, "It's probably from the vodka in your hand! Did you spike the punch again?!" Rouge grinned. "Actually, yes, but this time I did it on purpose." Amy glared at her. "There were _minors_ at this party!" Rouge shrugged. "Not my problem." A wail of pain from Tails, followed by panicked talking from Cosmo, sounded.

Cosmo opened the fridge door, allowing Tails to fall to the ground. She knelt next to him. "Are you all right?" she demanded. Tails nodded, cringing. "I'll be okay. But it _hurts!_ How'd I get like that?!" Amy called, "Blame Rouge, she spiked the punch again!" Sonic's voice called, "Help!" There was a loud crash as the lights and tinsel gave out, sending him spilling to the ground. "Nevermind, I'm good!"

The Chaotix shouted in surprise and scrambled off of each other, panting. Darius and Shyra rolled of the counter. There was a loud thump, followed by two shouts of pain. Nico woke up, hanging by his feet. He yelled in shock. "Help!" Silver's voice asked, "Why do I have a toaster?" Blaze yawned. "Beats me. You're an idiot." Silver sighed in depression and Blaze added, "But you're _my_ idiot."

Silver perked up as Blaze kissed him on the cheek. Tris, Shadow, and Arctic continued to sleep and pretend to sleep. To everyone's surprise, Knuckles popped up from behind the couch, yawning. "What'd I mi-" he broke off. "What the hell happened to this place?" Everyone looked around. The house was a mess. Empty red Solo cups were strewn about the place. Paper plates were abandoned on the floor.

Everyone avoided looking at the bra hanging from the Christmas tree, not really caring to know who's it was. "That's just gross." Amy muttered. Tris sat up and yawned. "Hey guys. 'Sup?" She looked down, then turned a fierce shade of pink. "Um... Completely off topic and having nothing to do with me, is there a bra laying around somewhere?"

Everyone pointed and she blinked. "Okay then." Everyone turned to each other and started arguing about who's fault it probably was that the place was a mess, except for Nico, who was still hanging in the doorway, and Sonic, who was tangled in blinking lights. Suddenly, who else, Eggman burst through the door, followed by Bokkun, Decoe, and Bocoe(sp?).

Eggman tossed a hologram into the room and left without another word, his lackeys following. Everyone stared at the holo. A play button winked at them. Arctic and Shadow sat up and stared at it. Arctic blinked. "Well, somebody press it!" she urged. Rouge edged forward and touched it. Immediately, a video started to play, showing Rouge pouring vodka in the punch...

Friday, December 24, 2042, 9:54 p.m. Mobius time

Amy Rose's House

Recording

(what everyone's doing in reality)

Rouge giggled drunkenly as she poured the vodka. She picked up the spoon and stirred it in, then skipped away. The video then fast forwarded half an hour to show Arctic and Shadow next to the kareoke machine, Arctic kissing and smacking him and walking away, Shadow staring after her. Though luckily or unluckily, it didn't show their song. (The two glared as Arctic and Shadow's part played. Shadow snapped, "If anyone says a single word, they will die." Arctic nodded and grabbed the hilt of her katana, protruding slightly from her bag. Wisely, everyone remained silent.) Amy started "singing." The video then skipped another hour.

Friday, December 24, 2042, 11:26 p.m. Mobius time

Amy Rose's House

Recording

(what everyone's doing in reality)

Darius glared at Silver, who was hugging the toaster. He tried to grab it from him, but the silver hedgehog pulled it away and stuck his tongue out at the echidna. Darius growled and tackled Silver, who shouted. The two began fighting over the toaster. Blaze and Shyra exchanged a glance, then pulled the boys away from each other, Silver keeping the toaster.

Shyra hissed to Darius, "Knock it off and you can have a microwave." Immediately Darius stopped struggling. Silver looked up at Blaze with round yellow eyes. "Can _I_ have a microwave?" Blaze shook her head. "That would make the toaster sad." she said sarcastically, but the silver hedgehog took the lavender cat's words to heart. He turned to the toaster and said with wide eyes, "I'm sorry Toasty. I don't want to make you sad."

(Several people glanced at Silver, who looked like a hedgehog version of Knuckles.)

Knuckles sprinted past them as Silver curled up and fell asleep. Julie-Su was chasing the red echidna, murder in her eyes. Knuckles hid in a group of people, then leaped behind the couch where Amy was sleeping. Julie-Su looked around for a moment, then stormed out of the house. Nico was talking to Tris. Apparently he said something about the mistletoe, because he pointed up, causing Tris to snap something to Blaze, who set her hands on fire.

Tris grabbed Nico by his ankles and Blaze melted the soles of his shoes, then jumped up and stuck him to the doorway. (Nico looked down-or up, depending on your perspective-and sighed. Blaze scratched the back of her head guiltily.) The two girls high fived and Blaze went back to Silver. Tris walked over to the punch bowl, picked it up, and started drinking out of it. A few moments later, she laughed crazily, ran off somewhere, came back with her bra in hand, and threw the aforementioned bra at the tree. She went back to drinking the punch and passed out.

The Chaotix were arguing heatedly, then they all passed out, clutching their necks. Arctic stepped out from around the corner, holding her blowgun and grinning. Shadow snuck up behind her and scared her. She leaped into the air and shot a dart at him. He keeled over. Arctic cringed and went to pull out another dart, but she dropped it. Tails picked it up and accidentally pricked her with it. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she fell next to Shadow.

(Shadow glared at the silver and white fox, who shrugged. "Blame Rouge." she snickered.)

Tails blinked, then put the dart on the floor and darted off, only to crash into Rouge. The bat glared at him and picked him up by his tails. She carried him, thrashing, over to the fridge and opened the door. She threw him inside. He tried to get out but Rouge slammed the door shut before his tails were clear, trapping him. He yelled something that was clearly "Help!" and Cosmo, hearing him, raced to his side.

Rouge had found Arctic's blowgun and was playing around with it as she lay on top of the ceiling fan blades. She put it to her mouth and accidentally shot both Tails and Cosmo, who fell asleep immediately. Then she shot Shyra and Darius, who slumped over. On top of _that_, she somehow managed to prick herself as well, causing her to start snoring in seconds.

Saturday, December 25, 2042, 10:46 a.m. Mobius time

Amy Rose's House

The recording ended. Amy smashed the holo with her Piko Piko hammer. "Everybody out. I have some cleaning to do." Arctic blinked. "Amy, we can all-" Amy ignored her. "Get out!" she yelled. She marched down the hall to get cleaning supplies. Arctic and Shadow exchanged a glance, then turned to the others, who nodded. Arctic darted over to Sonic and freed him from the lights. Tris, blushing, grabbed her bra from the tree and darted into the bathroom.

Shadow pulled Nico down and sat him on the ground. The cat darted over to the door, opened it, waited a few seconds, then shut it. Arctic waved her hand and everybody scrambled about, picking up paper plates and Solo cups. Sonic sprinted as fast as he could without causing a sonic boom, rehanging lights and decorations. Arctic picked up the chips of the hollow and handed them to Darius, who threw them away.

Tails flew up to where the rubber of Nico's shoes still sat and pulled what looked like spray paint, except unmarked, out of his tail fur. He sprayed it on the rubber, which dissolved, then put the can away. As soon as Sonic finished rehanging the lights, he gave Cosmo a thumbs up and she plugged them in, lighting up the room with a brilliant display. The Chaotix grinned at each other and high fived.

Amy came back a few minutes later, cleaning supplies in hand, then froze. She stared at the now completely clean house and the Mobians-and Seedrian-beaming at her. She blinked. "You guys-" Arctic cut her off. "In case you hadn't noticed, it's Christmas. So... Merry Christmas!" Everyone else grinned. Except for Shadow who only said, "Don't expect any other presents. Not from me anyway."

Arctic punched him on the shoulder and he glared at her. Amy raised an eyebrow. If anyone else were to do that, Shadow would probably try to hit them with a Chaos Spear. What was different about the fox? Amy shrugged inwardly. It was probably something to do with the ten years he was MIA. But she would figure it out later. For now... "Well!" Amy said. "Hours of cleaning out of the way, let's go do something!"

(since this is a long chapter im doing a half authors note for the hell of it)

okay, that was my favorite part to write so far. i know it seems dumb to have them have so much fun at a party without anybody really getting upset about cosmos flower, but hey. youd get distracted in on of my stories too. anyway. **shadow**: so much for serious, eh? **me**: shut the fuck up! shouldn't you be- **shadow**: before you finish that sentence, no i should not be making out with my girlfriend, because that would mean that not only i _had_ a girlfriend, but that _you_- **me**: *covers face with both hands and tails* shut up, i said! **sonic**: how come shadow keeps getting to do the author's notes? **shadow**: because i'm a badass, faker. deal with it. **tails**: it's because shadow has a crush! **shadow**: *pushes arctics tails away* i do not! **tails**: do too! **shadow**: do not! **tails**: do- **me**: _**SHUT THE FUCK UP!**_ **tails and shadow**: 00 meep. **sonic**: ...well damn silaya. chill. **me**: *glares* **cosmo**: let's not take this too far now! **tails**: i agree completely! **me shadow and sonic**: *rolls eyes* **shadow**: kiss up. **me**: look who's talking. **knuckles**: *sighs and turns to readers* sorry about that. they just made this the longest a/n ever. i think. i dunno. anyway, silaya arctic prower does not own me or any of the sonic characters. we unfortunately belong to sega. arctic _does_ however own herself, darius, shyra, nico, and tris. **shyra**: unfortunately? you guys are lucky to be owned by sega! im owned by an idiot who doesn't know what she's doing! **me**: *punches in face* shut up or you'll end up like i was tempted to do to shadow. dead by a robot.** shadow**: knuckles you idiot! ark said she was only doing one disclaimer! now everyone is going to expect her to do one for every chapter/half chapter! **knuckles**: whoops... **me**: chaos dammit knuckles! **knuckles**: sorry! **me**: _**EVERYBODY OUT!**_ **sonic, tails, knuckles, cosmo, and shyra**: *sighs and leaves* **shadow**: wow. someones tempermental. **me**: *punches in face* enjoy the rest of the chapter while i proceed to beat the shit out of a certain black and red hedgehog who is close to being killed by a robot like 2 chapters ago. **shadow**: *gulp*

Saturday, December 25, 2042, 5:45 p.m. Mobius time

The Forest

Blaze dove behind a wall of snow as she narrowly avoided getting hit by a snowball. "Hey! That snowball had a glowing green aura! Silver!" The aforementioned hedgehog grinned. "Hey, you never said I couldn't!" Arctic popped her head out of the snow, startling Blaze. "Yeah, but I did!" Tails and Cosmo popped up next to her. "She did. Before we started she said no powers of any sort!" the Seedrian said.

Tails nodded. Blaze stared at them. "How long have you guys been in there while your team got slaughtered?" Arctic blinked. "Who all got hit?" Blaze thought for a moment. "Amy, Sonic, Knuckles and Darius. It's you guys and me left." Shadow's head popped up next to Arctic. "Boo." he teased, pelting them all with snowballs. Arctic got one straight to the face and she slumped forward, playing dead.

Shyra, Vector, Espio, Charmy, Silver, Tris, Rouge and Nico, the other members of the Shadow's team, walked over to them, laughing. Tails and Cosmo slid out of the snow while Blaze stood and brushed herself off. Arctic continued to play dead. Shadow rolled his eyes and pulled her out. She immediately started flailing. "Hey! Leggo!" Nico piped up, "My eggo!"

Everyone laughed, including Arctic. Vector said, "Hey guys, we'd better go, but we had fun. Later!" He, Espio, and Charmy waved and left. Silver blinked. "Wait a sec! Now the teams are uneven!" Blaze grinned. "That just makes it easier for us." Darius sighed. "Just because he cheats doesn't mean we have to, Blaze." Blaze sighed. "I suppose. Whatever. We've had the same teams for, like, an hour. Let's mix it up!"

Silver immediately said, "I call Shadow!" Everyone rolled their eyes. Nico said, "How about we use my phone to decide? You put everyone's names into this app and shake the phone and it randomly picks the teams." Darius smirked. "There's an app for that!" Several eye rolls greeted this statement. Nico typed in the names and shook his phone wildly.

He looked at the screen and said, "Team One is Blaze, Silver, Tails, Knuckles, Cosmo, Shyra, and Darius. Team Two is me, Shadow, Arctic, Amy, Sonic, Rouge, and Tris." They got into their assigned groups and moved to opposite sides of the forest. After five minutes, Tails blew his airhorn and the teams started the hunt. Arctic and Shadow darted off while the rest of their team made snowballs and ran to find the others.

Shadow grinned at Arctic. "What's the game plan, Ark?" Arctic blinked. "Search and destroy. Like Call of Duty, but with snow and people." Shadow laughed. "I've never though of it like that." Arctic raised an eyebrow. "Seriously though. Ark? What's with the nickname, Shads?" Shadow rolled his eyes. "Does it tick you off?" Arctic shook her head.

"Not really." Shadow blinked and his pace faltered for a moment. "Then there is no reason. I thought it ticked you off." Arctic shook her head and jumped over a branch. "No. I actually kind of like it." Shadow groaned. "Damn. And here I thought it irritated you." He tripped over the branch Arctic had jumped over and fell on his face. Arctic skidded to a halt and walked over to him.

"You okay? You seem distracted today." She held out a hand to help him up. He ignored it and pushed himself to his feet. "I'm fine." he said. Arctic blinked and pulled her hand back. What had she said? Snow crunching distracted her. "Get down!" she hissed, dropping into a crouch behind a fallen tree. Shadow joined her as she peered over the tree.

"I can't see them." she muttered. Shadow peered around the tree and narrowed his eyes. "Me either." he murmured. "Let's get closer." Arctic nodded and vaulted over the tree. Shadow, however, crept around it. They pressed their backs against a tall oak and Arctic muttered, "Lame-o." Shadow rolled his eyes and scooped up snow. Arctic followed suite and they peered around the tree.

Shadow's eyes widened and he yanked Silaya back behind the tree. "That's not them! It's that echidna girl that stole Cosmo's flower!" The girl in question was making wild hand movements. Arctic exchanged a glance with Shadow, bewildered, as a man's voice said, "How do you lose a flower? You're a fool." The echidna girl cringed. There was silence for a moment.

The man heaved a sigh. "Just be glad that you successfully grabbed the first flower." A note of pride entered the big man's voice. "I'm sure it was easy. All you did was nab the flower from Tails' house, make sure Eggman could find it, then snatch it after Cosmo was pulled out of it. I'm just surprised that Cosmo didn't notice the second seed that was created when she came back."

Arctic's eyes widened and she hissed to Shadow, "Second seed? That means that the first flower, the one that Cosmo was in, wasn't the one I grabbed when I went back for it!" Shadow nodded, then shushed her as the man continued, "I wonder how the seed developed so quickly, though?" The echidna girl let out an "I don't know" sound from her thoat.

"I don't know either. Maybe it could detect its sister-flower and grew to become its twin?" The girl nodded and he continued, "That would make sense. Now we just have to find it. I still can't believe that the first plant was too pure to accelerate its growth with dark arts." The man sighed. "It is saddening. Maybe the second will be less resistant." Arctic blinked. Dark arts? But that would mean...

"We have to get to that flower before they do!" she hissed to Shadow. He looked at her. "Why?" Arctic let out a soft breath. "If they use dark arts to accelerate the growth of Cosmo's flower, it will corrupt it. The flower will grow into something twisted and evil. It will probably obey the one who created it." Shadow's eyes widened. "You're saying..."

"Yes. They'll use the flower as a weapon, not a child. It probably won't even be a child when they're done." Arctic peered around the tree. "Shit! They're gone." Shadow blinked. "Let's follow them. Maybe they will lead us to the flower." Arctic nodded and they sprinted off. "It's funny." she murmured to Shadow. "We started out with a snowball fight and I learned more than I ever did in school."

Shadow snickered, then skidded to a halt. Arctic froze as well and dragged him behind a tree. The echidna and the man, which they could now see was a larger, darker version of the echidna girl, were kneeling in the ground. The girl nodded. She pulled something out of a tree trunk and held it out to the larger echidna. She made several gestures.

"Well done, Lynn!" the big echidna said. "Well done, indeed." Lynn beamed. Arctic hissed when she saw what Lynn had handed the larger echidna. It was a white, crystal-like rose. Shadow's eyes widened. "Tails' flower? _That's_ what they were looking for?" Arctic rolled her eyes. "Weren't you listening? I'll explain. The echidna stole the first flower.

"Then she made sure that Eggman could find it for some reason. I kicked Eggman's ass and wound up bringing Cosmo back. When Cosmo came back, she brought a new seed with her. The echidna stole that and for some reason it grew more quickly than the first. The girl thinks that it was trying to match its sibling, like how when a young kid has an older sibling, they try to grow up quicker to be like them.

"After that, when we left the flower behind by accident, the girl swapped the flower Tails had been caring for with the second flower. You following so far?" Shadow nodded, annoyed. Arctic continued, "Tails must have pricked his finger on the second flower, effectively yet inadverdently fathering a second child." Shadow blinked. "So Tails is pretty much the _Delivery Man_ but with blood and roses?"

Arctic rolled her eyes. "Not quite, but you get the gist of how the kids came around. Anyway, so then the echidna stole the second flower. She must have hidden it so that she could come back. You know, in case we caught her." Shadow nodded. "I see. So it's more like _Switched at Birth?_" Arctic sighed. "More or less, except both wound up with the same bastards."

She peered around the tree trunk, then pulled back. "We have to keep them from using dark arts on that plant. We also have to save the first plant." Shadow blinked. "Why are you so worried about Tails and Cosmo's kids?" Arctic paused. "Do you need to ask? I won't let innocent children be harmed in some maniac's quest for power. Power-crazed maniac's are what killed our families."

She waved her hand, indicating Nico, Tris, Shyra, and Darius. Shadow nodded. "Let's do this." Arctic pulled her bow out of the bag on her hip and strung it. She shouldered her quiver and clipped her katana to her free hip. "Let's." She shot an arrow directly between the two echidnas and they sprang away, shocked. Arctic darted out of cover and notched another arrow.

"Don't move!" she shouted. She aimed for the echidna girl. "Or she dies!" Shadow came out from behind the tree. The large echidna, though, just laughed. "What is one fox and one hedgehog going to do against ten robots?" As though they had been summoned, and they probably had, ten robots surrounded them. The echidna laughed again. "Did you think that I would come here without scouts?"

Arctic snarled. "Shadow." she muttered. The hedgehog nodded slightly and reached for his Chaos emerald, but before he could grab it, one of the robots lunged forward and grabbed _him_. She drew the arrow farther back and said with a disinterested tone, "If you hurt a single quill of his, this arrow will hit your daughter hard enough to send her heart out through her back."

The echidna rolled his eyes. "I don't doubt it. But, you see, the difference _is_, I do not _care_ if you kill her." Lynn's eyes widened and she froze. Silaya didn't falter. She was grateful for her vest, which allowed her the freedom to twist her body so that she didn't put as much strain on her arms. It also allowed her to use her back. The trick with a bow is to use the muscles in your back and shoulders rather than your arms.

If you only use your arms, then you're going to tire more quickly. Arctic pushed these thoughts from her head and said, "But she's useful to you. Despite how it may seem, the only reason I'd care if you slit his throat right now would be that I can use him. If he were to die, I'd just need to find someone else. And that would irritate me, because it would take forever. But I'd be delayed, not thrown entirely off."

The dark echidna's eyes narrowed. Arctic knew that look. She released her arrow, which just nicked Lynn's shoulder, and notched another. If you blinked, you missed it. The large echidna roared, "You little bitch! How dare you!" Arctic smirked. "You care about her more than you let on. You were about to test the same thing with the hedgehog, were you not?"

Lynn's eyes were wide as she stared at her shoulder, where blood dripped. One of the robots dove in front of her before Arctic could fire again. The larger echidna growled. "Let's see how much you really care for the hedgehog after all, shall we?" He pulled a dagger from his belt and put the blade to Shadow's throat. The hedgehog's eyes widened.

He stared at Arctic, who lowered her bow, but kept the string drawn. Was she really going to let this psychopath kill him? He tried to catch her eye. She blinked at him, then turned her head to look at the echidna. Shadow felt a trickle of doubt. He had only known Silaya about a week. Could he really trust her to save him if that meant sacrificing the flower, sacrificing a child? _Probably not,_ he realized, shock filling him.

Despite how the silver and white fox had seemed to have a carefree, goofy, playful attitude, had that all been just a ruse, a shell covering this cold girl in front of him? He blinked. Why was he analyzing this? He was about to die, for Chaos' sake, unless someone did something. The big echidna's eyes widened. "You really _don't_ care about him!"

Then he sighed. "Oh, well. Loose ends and all that." He moved to stab Shadow in the chest, and the hedgehog shut his eyes. Immortal or not, he wasn't invincible. And he was about to find out just how vulnerable he was. "_**NO!**_" There was a loud _twang!_ and a thud. Something spattered Shadow's chest and someone started howling. Another _twang!_, accompanied by the sound of groaning metal, rang out.

Shadow felt the robot release him and he hit the ground hard, head first, and everything became blurry. He felt something slide off his wrist. "Shadow, move!" he heard someone someone shout through his daze. He rolled to the side and onto his back just as a crash next to him signified the robot that had held him going down. He opened his eyes to see a blurry image of the blue echidna tower over him, the white crystal-rose tucked under one arm, dagger in the opposite hand.

Shadow noticed that blood dripped from the other. The echidna snarled and moved to stab him, but something flew past him, just nicking his nose and sending blood spattering Shadow. "Stay away from him!" the voice from earlier shouted. The echidna growled and ran over to a robot. "Get my daughter and I out of here!" he yelled. The nine remaining robots flew off. Shadow closed his eyes.

Someone cursed. Then there was the sound of crunching snow as someone ran over to him. "Shadow?" they asked, voice soft. Shadow tried to open his eyes and answer, but couldn't. Snow crunched as they knelt next to him and put a hand on his chest. "Shadow, wake up!" They sounded slightly worried now. "Damn it all! This is all my fault. If only I had acted sooner. I'm sorry, Shadow. I messed everything up, didn't I?"

The person sighed. "I thought that maybe I could get to the plant, too. But I couldn't, could I? I never could." Their voice became angry. "And now _you_ got hurt all because I tried to do something I couldn't." Something wet fell on Shadow's chest. "Fuck. I'm so _weak!_" There was a loud thud as something hit the ground. "Fuck... I'm sorry."

Something soft brushed Shadow's arm as the person drew their knees to their chest. _A tail, maybe?_ Shadow wondered. _Wait, why do I care what touched me? I have to get up._ He tried to move, but his body wouldn't respond to his commands. It was hard to think. There was the sound of a blade being pulled from its sheathe and the sound of metal tearing through metal as the aforementioned blade cut through something.

Shadow tried to remember who he knew that had a sword, but couldn't. _Come on, think!_ he scolded himself. _Chaos, this is some Christmas, eh?_ And then he remembered what had happened. Shadow opened his eyes slightly and looked around. A silver and white fox was violently attacking a robot lying on the ground with a katana, twin tails waving. She snarled in anger. Shadow grunted as he sat up. Silaya froze and turned. "Shadow!"

The silver and white fox spun around, dropping her katana, then darted over to him, weapon forgotten. She knelt beside him and put a hand on his shoulder as he tried to get up. "Are you okay?" she asked. He shrugged her hand away. "Get off of me! What do you care?" he snapped. Arctic sat back, a hurt look in her eyes. "Shadow, what-" Shadow cut her off angrily, "You would have let him kill me!"

The hurt in the silver and white fox's eyes was replaced by indignance. "I was playing for time! I would never have let him hurt you!" Shadow glared at her. "_The only reason I'd care if you slit his throat right now would be because I can use him._ Ring any bells?" Arctic's eyes widened. "It's called a bluff, but if you're so determined to think that I betrayed you, fine!"

She threw his inhibitor ring at him. "Just next time, thank the peroson who saves your life!" She stormed off. Shadow looked down at his chest and blinked. It was covered in blood. He picked up the ring and slipped it on his wrist, then stared at the arrow. Arctic had shot it at the echidna's hand, Shadow remembered, stunned. She really had been playing for time.

"Let go of me!" an angry voice shouted. "I said, _let g_-ah!" Shadow scrambled to his feet. "Arctic!" he growled. He picked up the silver fox's katana, then darted off in the direction she had taken, realizing how stupid he'd been. He had hardly ran twenty feet when Arctic's bow flew past him. "Woah!" he snarled, ducking. He picked up the weapon and glared. A robot stood in the center of a clearing, Silaya in hand.

Arctic's arms were restrained, so she couldn't reach a weapon. She spat curses at the robot that if I were to repeat I would have to change this story's rating to M. Shadow rolled his eyes. Trapped with no sign of escape and still she cursed worse than a sailor. Arctic twisted, trying to escape, the she saw him. Her eyes narrowed and she turned her head away.

Shadow huffed. He would deal with her wounded pride later. Arctic snarled at the robot and managed to Sparta kick it in the face. Shadow dropped her weapons, pulled out his Chaos emerald, and shouted, "Chaos Spear!" A bolt of yellow energy smacked into the robot and Arctic gasped as she was thrown clear. Shadow saw a sharp branch ready to impale her and shouted, "Chaos Control!" He materialized next to her.

He wrapped an arm around her, twisted, and ducked out of the way of the branch, grabbing it to keep from falling. He looked down at Arctic. She just glared at him. He rolled his eyes. "Are you all right?" he asked. She turned her face away and he sighed. "Okay, is anything hurt except for your pride?" She shot him a glare, but then shook her head.

Shadow nodded and Chaos Controlled them to the ground, where they stood for a moment. Silaya glared at his arm, but he didn't move. They stood there for a minute, then Arctic gave in. "You can let go of me now Mister Mood Swing." Shadow released her. "See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" Arctic rolled her eyes and walked over to retrieve her weapons.

She slipped them into the weird bag on her hip and Shadow asked, "Really though, how does that work?" Arctic didn't reply. Shadow sighed, realizing that he was probably going to get the silent treatment all day. Then she said, "You put whatever you need to in and the bag shrinks it until you need to pull it out again." Shadow sat up. She was talking. That was a good start.

Then Arctic whipped around and glared. "Don't try to get buddy-buddy with me, Shadow." She marched off. Shadow rolled his eyes and followed her. She was probably waiting for an apology. Well, there wasn't one forthcoming, so she'd have a long time to wait. Shadow did _not_ apologize. (**shadow:** hey! i am _not_ that pigheaded! **me:** but you admit that you _can_ be stubborn at times?)

Arctic glanced back at him, but otherwise didn't acknowledge his presence. Suddenly, she froze and ducked behind a tree. Shadow followed suite just as Silver, Tails, and Blaze ran past them. Arctic left her hiding spot just as Cosmo scrambled after the rest of her team. She saw Arctic and her eyes widened. "Back here!" she yelled. Arctic frantically scooped up snow, competetiveness taking over.

Shadow rolled his eyes as she dove behind the tree. Silver, Blaze, and Tails came back and Cosmo pointed to Arctic's hiding spot just before the silver fox threw several snowballs at once, hitting Silver and Cosmo, who dropped to the ground, playing dead, but not Blaze and Tails. The cat and the orange kitsune dove for cover. Arctic ducked behind her tree again, then looked at it thoughtfully.

Without warning, she sprang up and started climbing. Blaze shouted, "Come on, Arctic! Don't be shy!" Shadow walked out from behind his tree and leaned against it. "That's not smart." Tails cocked his head. "How so?" Shadow smirked. Apprehension dawned on their faces. They started looking every direction but up. Arctic put two fingers to her mouth and whistled. Tails and Blaze looked up a look of dread dawning on their faces.

Silaya smirked. "Don't be shy." she said. Then she dropped the snow on their heads. She looked down and exchanged grins with Shadow. "The one place they never think to look: up!"

Saturday, December 25, 2042, 11:54 p.m. Mobius time

Tails' House

"That was so unfair!" Tails whined as the group settled down for the night. Arctic rolled her eyes. "Why? Because you didn't think of it? In case you hadn't noticed, I didn't use any powers. I didn't break a single rule." Darius snorted. "What rule? The only rule was that there was no rules." Nico blinked. "But wouldn't that technically be a rule?" There was silence for a moment as everyone pondered this. "Paradox, bitches!" Arctic howled.

Shyra blinked. "That... Is a good question." Tris stared at the bat. "Holy shit. You know it's a good question when it comes from Nico and _Shyra_ of all people says its a good question." Shyra glared at the purple lizard, who rolled her eyes and layed down under her blanket. Nico sat up suddenly. "Wait a sec!" he said excitedly. Everyone groaned.

Tails paused on the stairs, Cosmo next to him. Nico asked, "It's still technically Christmas, right?" Tails glanced at his watch. "For about two more minutes, yeah." Nico pulled boxes out of his bag and handed one to everyone. "Merry Christmas!" he shouted as he darted up to Tails and Cosmo. He darted back to his blanket and curled up on it, amber eyes glinting as he rested his tail over his nose.

Tails and Cosmo exchanged a glance, then opened their boxes. Cosmo pulled out a silver chain, while Tails produced a digital watch. Nico said happily, "I heard you tell Cosmo that you couldn't find a chain for that pendant, so I found my mom's! She never really wore jewelry. She only wore this one necklace so she gave me that chain and said to give it to someone who needs it."

Nico beamed. "As for the watch, Tails, I heard you say that yours was starting to get touchy, so I figured you could use some of the parts from _that_ watch to fix it!" The little black cat yawned. Cosmo smiled at him. "Thank you, Nico." Tails nodded. "Yeah, thanks." Arctic scratched the energetic ball of fur behind his ear and he purred. "That was nice of you, Nico." she praised him.

Nico beamed. "Open your guys' before I pass out!" Arctic rolled his eyes. "He definately gets that from his father." she snorted. Darius grinned. "I think he gets it more from his uncle." Arctic thought for a moment. "You're right." she conceded. She picked up the little box that Nico had given her and looked inside. A small light glinted up at her, illuminating her features.

Shadow stared at her as she reached inside, and when she pulled her hand away, a glowing yellow butterfly rested on her finger. Her face softened. "Dad..." she murmured. A memory unfolded in her head.

_A little silver and white fox, no older than four, wearing a little green sundress to match her mother's, ran through a field, laughing happily. "Silaya! Don't go too far!" her mother called, a pale, pretty woman. Little Arctic turned. "Don't worry, Mama, I won't!" The small fox knelt beside a big red rose, admiring it. Arctic's father, a twin-tailed fox like his daughter, joined her mother on the porch. She chided him, "You really should spend more time with her."_

_ "I know, I know." said the fox. "I just get busy." Arctic's mother crossed her arms. "You're not busy now. And you're not getting a kiss until you go play with her." Arctic's father stole a peck anyway, but walked out to his daughter. Arctic was reaching for a red-tipped thorn, but when she touched it, it pricked her finger. She stared in amazement as it started bleeding._

_ Her father knelt next to her. "That wasn't a smart thing to do." Arctic shrugged. "I was curious, Daddy. Like you!" Her father grinned. "But I don't prick my finger purposely on rose thorns." Arctic looked at him, then the rose. "I don't want to call it a rose thorn. I want to call it a blood thorn. And the rose a blood rose." Her father raised an eyebrow._

_ "And why is that?" Silaya looked at him, bewildered. Then she giggled. "Because, silly, the thorns are sharp and tipped with red. The red tip looks like it was stained with blood. Like someone pricked their finger on every thorn. Then the rose is the same color as the blood the thorns draw." Her dad blinked. "I hadn't thought of it that way before. Maybe it wasn't that terrible of an idea. Just don't go around purposely hurting yourself, okay?"_

_ "Okay, Daddy." she said, putting her finger in her mouth to get rid of the blood. Then her eyes widened and she let out an excited screech. She pulled her finger out of her mouth and wiped it on her dress. "What is _that_ Daddy? It's _so_ pretty!" A small yellow butterfly had landed on the rose, no bigger than the girls index finger. Her father looked at her, then held out a finger to the butterfly._

_ The tiny creature paused, then climbed on. Arctic's father carefully took his daughter's hand and let the butterfly crawl into her palm. "That, Arctic, is a butterfly. Be careful." he warned her. "It may be pretty, but it's delicate." Arctic blinked at the butterfly. "Delicate." she echoed. She held the butterfly in front of her face. "You're delicate." she told it. "I have to be careful."_

_ Her father smiled. "I'll tell you what. How about the next time we go to the store, we get a butterfly feeder? Then a bunch of butterflies will come around." Arctic nodded, excited. Out of nowhere, a firefly landed on her nose. She gasped and shook her head to throw it off. "Woah, woah!" her father said. "It's okay, it won't hurt you. That's a firefly."_

_ Arctic blinked and crossed her eyes to stare at it. She put her finger in front of it and it climbed on. She pulled her hand away and stared at it. "Firefly." she murmured. "Why's it called that?" she asked. She looked between the two bugs. "Well," he father told her. "At night, during the spring and summer, they'll start to glow. They're not as pretty as a butterfly in the daytime, but at night they have their own beauty."_

_ Arctic smiled and raised her hand a little. The firefly flew away, winking its light at her. Arctic's eyes widened. "Woah!" She looked at the butterfly. "Can _you_ do that?" she asked it. As though in answer, it fluttered away. Little Silaya smiled._

_ "Nope."_

An older Arctic smiled at the glowing bug. "Dad told you about that, did he?" Nico shook his head. "No. I heard him telling our moms." Arctic let the little butterfly crawl back in the box. It stopped glowing. "Robotic?" Silaya asked. Nico shook his head. "Synthes-Synthestic." Tails and Cosmo exchanged a glance, then walked up to their room. Arctic rubbed the little black cat's head. "Thanks, Nico. Oh, and you're thinking synthetic."

Shyra opened her box to find a small pearl. "I went to a pet store and got a clam." Nico explained. Shyra grinned. Tris opened hers and found a note. "_Next time think twice about asking Blaze to help you stick me to the ceiling, you owe me a new pair of shoes._ Lovely, Nico." Arctic grinned and pulled a pair of shoes identical to the ones that had been melted out of her bag.

"Here, Nico. I figured you'd need these." Nico blinked his owl-like eyes at her. "Thanks!" he said excitedly. Arctic leaned over to Shadow. "Wait to give him yours till morning." Nico blinked at them. "What?" Arctic grinned. "Whoops. Cat's out of the bag. Pardon the pun." Shadow handed her a ball of yarn, which she tossed to Nico. The black cat's amber eyes widened.

Shyra muttered, "Aw hell naw." Nico hugged the yarn like a teddy bear and curled into a ball. "Nighy-night." he said happily. Darius pulled the lid off of the box Nico had given him and grinned. Arctic leaned over, trying to see. "What is it." Darius hid it. "Nothing..." he said. Arctic's eyes widened. "Darius!" she whined. Darius shook his head. "Night Arctic." Arctic glared at him.

Shadow rolled his eyes at the echidna's childishness and opened his own box. A silver ring glinted up at him. A clip-on tie underneath of it with a note the read, _Ask her out already!_ Shadow's eye twitched. Arctic raised an eyebrow, breaking the ice of her frosty treatment towards him. "What is it?" Shadow looked up at her, then back down at the ring. He blinked and said, "Trust me. You don't want to know. _I_ don't even want to know."

Arctic glared at him and layed down. Before she dozed off, she took one last glance at the butterfly. "I'm going to keep you from dying, Dad. I'm going to stop the war before it happens." She whispered, and closed the box with a sharp _snap!_, abruptly cutting off the light.

"I promise."


	7. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6: She's Screwing With My Head! ...She's Good.

okay, that was fun. **shadow**: you've said that about the last chapters. **me**: thats because the last chapters _were_ fun. **shadow**: why are blaze and silver so ooc? **me**: i dont know if theyre ooc or not. ive never really seen them in action. ive hardly seen several of the sonic characters in action. **shadow**: oh. **me**: SONIC! DO THE DISCLAIMER! **sonic**: yay! the main character of sonic finally gets to do something! **me:** you know what screw it i changed my mind. DARIUS! DO THE DISCLAIMER! **darius**: *sigh* sonic and all sonic related characters belong to sega. the only thing silaya here claims is the storyline, me, herself, shyra, nico, and tris. **me**: thanks. hey shadow. **shadow**: yes? **me**: guess what. **shadow**: what? **me**: i stole your Chaos emerald! *runs away holding the aforementioned Chaos emerald above head* **shadow**: why you- gr! chaos- oh wait, i cant do chaos control, she has my emerald. chaos- oh wait, i cant do chaos spear either. DAMMIT! **me**: while i try not to let shadow kill me, chapter 6! **shadow**: ha! got you ark! _**DIE!**_

Sunday, December 26, 2042, 2:35 a.m. Mobius time

Tails' House

_A loud thump woke the group abruptly. Shadow fell off of his spot on the couch's armrest while Nico sprang up, eyes wide. Darius and Shyra sat up, rubbing their eyes. Tris blinked open her eyes and yawned. Arctic shot up, immediately alert. Sonic stood in the doorway, panting. "You guys have got to see this!" he wheezed. Tails came down the stairs, followed by Cosmo._

_ Everyone got up and grabbed their weapons. Then they followed Sonic outside and to the City Hall, where Rouge, Amy, Silver, and Blaze waited. The blue hedgehog pointed. "That." On top of City Hall, a giant robot stood firmly. It was one of the robots like Shadow and Arctic had seen in the woods. "What did you see in the woods?" Tails said, shocked. Shadow and Arctic blinked. "We didn't say anything."_

_ Rouge blinked. "Yes you just said that that robot was one of the ones that you saw in the woods." Darius blinked. "I was looking at them the whole time. It wasn't them who said that, but I heard it too." _This is so weird..._ Tails thought. "You're right, Tails." Cosmo said. "It is." Tails stared at her. "What? I didn't say anything..." His eyes widened in realization. "Out loud."_

_ Without warning, the robot on top of City hall exploded, sending everyone flying. Nico cried out as he landed. "Nico!" yelled Arctic. "Are you all right?" Nico nodded painfully. "I landed on my keys!" he whined. Arctic rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Why do you still have those? You can't use them!" Nico shrugged, staring at the ground. "You never know." he muttered._

_ Arctic sighed, but before she could say anything, several robots emerged from the wreckage of City Hall. Arctic's eyes narrowed as she unslung her bow from her shoulder. She reached back and grabbed an arrow, but before she could notch it, a robot fired a bullet that hit her bow directly in the center. She flinched and looked at the thick black wood._

_ Her jaw dropped. A large hole was dead in the center. Nothing short of a small incendiary bomb should have been able to even scorch the surface of it. ("Damn, tough bow." Shadow commented.) She dropped the bow, stunned, and it turned to ash as soon as it hit the ground. "Don't let them hit you!" she shouted. Sonic sprinted out of the way as robots fired at him. "Wasn't planning on it!"_

_ Arctic drew her katana and darted out of the way as robots sent bullets at her. "Why do they seem like they're coming after me?!" she snarled, slicing one in half. Her katana seemed to glow for a heartbeat as her eyes lit up at the prospect of a good fight. Darius growled, "Get out the way!" Nico yelped and darted out of the way. He screeched as the echidna darted past him, aiming a kick at the robot that had been just behind him._

_ Out of nowhere, Tris froze. Darius screamed at her, "Tris! No!" She touched her black shirt, and when she pulled her hand away, it was red. She collapsed to the ground. Arctic's eyes widened. "No!" she screamed. "Not after everything we've been through!" Wind rose up around the silver fox as Darius darted to the purple lizard's side. "No, no, no! No! You can't leave me, Tris! Please!" His words fell on dead ears, as this is what Tris was. Dead._

_ Arctic was tense as a rubber band ready to snap. Her fur started to darken, but there was something different this time. Instead of turning black with the silver part of her fur, the white part began to turn red. It looked like there was blood pouring down her front as her fur changed. Her eyes were the only part of her to remain the same. She sprinted forward, katana in hand, and darted towards a particularly large robot, wind giving her speed. Shadow blinked. "What the hell? Is she _controlling_ the wind?" Arctic gave him a brief nod._

_ Then she leaped into the air and ripped off the head of the machine, revealing the light blue echidna in the green dress, Lynn. Arctic raised her sword. "I should have killed you when I had the chance." she snarled. Her blade moved forward, about to stab through the echidna girl's heart, but froze an inch away from the skin. Something peeled itself from the now black and red fox, cackling._

_ It was a large black fox with one tail. It had red eyes, darker than Shadow's. It cackled again and stroked Arctic's cheek. The once silver fox appeared to be frozen. Shadow looked around. Everything else was frozen as well. Arctic's tails twitched and she could move again. She blinked and turned around. She looked down and her eyes widened in horror. "What the hell happened to my _fur!?_" she screeched._

_ Shadow cringed. "Beats me, but I kind of like it." Silaya rolled her eyes. "Ha ha, very funny, Shadow. You can move too?" She walked over to Sonic and rapped on his head with her knuckles. Shadow rolled his eyes at her. "Clearly. Stop that!" he added as she continued to tap on Sonic's head. "He's clearly not in it." Arctic blinked at him. "In what though? That's the question."_

_ The black fox cackled, "A nightmare, of course. Though it's more of a daymare now." Shadow blinked. "That thing just talked, and it sounds creepy." Arctic sighed. The black fox continued, "Do you see? Do you see the devastation and chaos that could ensue? You must stop this!" The black fox melted away, leaving Shadow and Arctic alone with frozen friends and enemies._

_ Shadow turned to her. "What the hell is going on?" A new voice growled, "That's what I'd like to know." It was Knuckles. He stood with his arms folded. Blaze, Silver, Sonic, Amy, Tails, Cosmo, Rouge, Shyra, Darius, and Nico had regained movement and were looking around, confused. "Am I dreaming?" Nico wondered. He seemed to concentrate and a bag of catnip appeared next to him._

_ "Yep." he said, digging in. "Definately a dream." Blaze glared at him. "Where's your pr-" Nico cut her off by waving a handful under her nose. The lilac cat's pupils dialated and she snatched the catnip. Arctic rolled her eyes. "If this is a dream, how are we all sharing the same one?" Everyone blinked. Darius paused. "If this is a dream, why is Tris not getting up?"_

_ Tails suggested, "Maybe she's not _in_ this dream." Several nods greeted this statement. Arctic scratched her head. "I guess that means we can't say anything when we wake up." Arctic and Darius exchanged a glance, then facepalmed. "Of course!" Shyra said, irritated. "Thanks, Dad! We totally love the fact that your energy keeps doing this to us!"_

_ Several stares were trained on them and Arctic explained, "Their father was... interesting... With Chaos Energy. He could tap into it somehow. His powers were passed on to his children when they were born, and since they're so close to me, Nico, and Tris, we occasionally share dreams. Of course, this could be someone's overactive imagination being an overactive imagination."_

_ Shadow blinked. "How will we know if this really happened when we wake up?" Silver grinned. "It's New Years Eve in two days, right? Well, as soon as the clock strikes midnight, everyone pull out their weapon, use their powers, et cetera, and shout Happy New Year bitches!" Arctic blinked. Blaze said, "Normally I would call you an idiot, but that's not a bad idea. It won't seem out of order if we do that and it turns out this is just some crazy prank on one of our minds." Silver grinned as Blaze added, "And that's why you're _my_ idiot." She kissed his cheek and disappeared._

_ "Woah! Where'd my girlfrie- Where'd Blaze go?" Silver quickly covered for himself. Arctic rolled her eyes and Shyra said, "Nowhere, you dumbass, she just woke up!" Darius opened his mouth, but then he disappeared too. Silver, Amy, Sonic, and Knuckles followed. Nico waved his tail and ate as much of the catnip as he could before he vanished. Tails and Cosmo went next._

_ Shyra and Rouge disappeared, along with the landscape, leaving Shadow and Arctic alone. Shadow said, "So... Can you really do that wind thing?" Arctic shrugged. "No. I can pretty much do what Tails can do, except I have weapon skills." Then the now black and red fox looked down in disgust and said, "The main reason I'll be glad when I wake up is that I look horrible sporting your colors." Shadow shrugged._

_ "It would look okay if it weren't for the fact that your eyes are still blue." Arctic grinned. "Or are they?" Shadow turned, confused, and saw that her eyes had turned red. She laughed and blinked, then they were back to normal. "That is so cool." she snickered. She looked at Shadow. He looked down and saw that he was now silver and white instead of red and black._

_ "Hey! Now I look like you!" he snapped. Silaya said innocently, "Except for your eyes." She laughed and they returned to their normal colors. Arctic blinked. "Aw... We're going to wake up soon, I'm guessing. Damn. You looked good in silver." Shadow smirked. "That's what she said." Arctic rolled her eyes. "Not Silver the Hedgehog, silver the color of my fur." Shadow grinned. "I know."_

_ Arctic shook her head, then gasped. "Yup, I'm waking up." Shadow grinned. "Ha. I'll be the last one here." Arctic rolled her eyes. "Don't forget, no talking about this when we wake up. That means I can do _this_ without rebuke." Before Shadow could ask what, she grabbed his cheeks and planted a kiss on his lips. She stepped away. "That never happened." she said, winking._

_ Then she disappeared. Shadow blinked. "Why does she keep doing weird-o stuff?!" Realization filled him. "That girl is trying to throw me off balance!" he yelled, irritated. "She's trying to confuse me! I see now. She's just screwing with my head."_

_ Then he grinned grudgingly as he disappeared._

_ "She's good."_

Sunday, December 26, 2042, 10:23 a.m. Mobius time

Tails' House

Arctic opened her eyes and stretched. She'd had the craziest dream, but all she remembered was that she had kissed Shadow. She snickered. She loved screwing with that hedgehog's head. It was nice to see him act his young age-well, his _physical_ age, anyway-every once in a while. Seeing him goof around like everyone else was not only nice, it was _entertaining!_

She grinned at the black and red hedgehog, who was still asleep. She darted into the kitchen, where Cosmo was making pancakes. "Hey Cosmo, is there any whipped cream I could use?" Cosmo rolled her eyes in amusement, already guessing what she was going to do. "In the fridge, top shelf." Arctic grinned, grabbed a spoon, and found the whipped cream.

She went back to Shadow's sleeping form and put whipped cream on his extended palm. Smirking, she leaned closer to him and used one of her tails to tickle his nose. He twitched, but didn't move. Arctic huffed and tickled his nose again. His hand waved, but didn't quite reach his face. Irritated, Arctic did it again. This time, Shadow's hand flew up.

He gasped and shot up as the cool whip covered his face, turning his black fur white. He blinked open his eyes. Arctic burst into laughter. The only part of Shadow's face _was_ his eyes. He looked like a fluffy white cotton ball with eyes. Red eyes that glared at her... Wait a sec... Shadow looked kind of mad... Gulp. "Ark!" Shadow roared, towering over her. She cringed, half-expecting him to hit her.

Then he did the oddest thing. He started laughing. Arctic looked up. Whipped cream hit her in the face as Shadow shook his head. "That was so cliche!" he snickered, containing himself. He wiped some of the fluffy cream off of his face and blinked at it, then shoved his hand in her face. "Hey!" she laughed. She licked her nose and Shadow blinked.

"Don't _do_ that!" he said. Arctic cocked her head. "What?" Shadow pointed at her. "_That!_ That thing you do! You licked your nose!" Arctic stuck her tongue out and crossed her eyes to look at it. She pulled it back into her mouth and said, "What do you expect? I'm a fox. My tongue is longer than yours." Shadow shivered. "I don't care. Don't do that."

Arctic shrugged and licked her lips. "I love whipped cream!" she giggled. Shadow groaned. "When it comes to my fur, I don't." Arctic rolled her eyes. "You don't like anything." Shadow shrugged. An idea slipped into Arctic's head. It would probably get her killed, but whatever. She leaned up and licked his cheek. He stumbled away from her. "Hey-What the-!"

Arctic grinned. Boom. And _that_, my friends, is how you surprise the hell out of a certain black and red hedgehog. Shadow stared at her like she had grown a second head. He blinked, shock written all over his face. "Er-I'm going to go take a shower." He darted off and Arctic walked into the kitchen, a warm fuzzy feeling in her belly. "He's like an irritating big brother." she snickered under her breath.

She reached into the bag on her hip and pulled out the little glowing butterfly Nico had given her as she walked into the kitchen. Despite how he had given it to her because of her dad, she couldn't help but feel like it represented Shadow slightly, too. After all, there couldn't be light without shadows to lighten up, right? She grinned. Cosmo noticed and raised an eyebrow. "Something funny?"

Arctic wiped some of the whipped cream off of her face. The golden butterfly fluttered around her head and she blinked at it. "Actually, yes. Shadow. He flipped out. It was funny." Cosmo smiled mischievously. "That wouldn't have something to do with you licking his cheek, would it?" Arctic blushed. "Heh heh. You saw that?" The Seedrian nodded.

"It's obvious you like him. I wonder when he'll ask you out?" Arctic jerked. "Say _what?!_ Um, sorry Cosmo, but no. Not happening. Just... No. I just like pissing him off." Cosmo raised an eyebrow and pointed out, "And making him act like a normal teenager." Arctic shrugged. "We're all normal teenagers except for him. I just figured I'd give him a push in the right direction."

Cosmo smirked. "Uh... Huh." Arctic raised an eyebrow. "Why are you suddenly so interrested in my practically inexistant love life?" Cosmo yelped. "Ah ha! I knew it!" Silaya sighed. "What?" Tails' voice came, "Don't mind her, she's just being... You know what, I'm too tired to lie. She's being straight up nosy." Cosmo glared at him, looking slightly offended.

"Don't give me that look. We all know it's true. Don't we you little eavesdroppers?" Tails turned and pressed a button. The door to the broom closet slid open, causing Darius and Shyra to tumble to the ground in a heap. "Shit! I forgot he could do that!" Arctic blinked. "Tails, what the hell is with you today? You're acting like my dad." She sweat dropped. "All old and stuff."

Tails raised an eyebrow, then burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, Shadow, I can't do it!" The black hedgehog came down the stairs, his quills damp from his shower. "Oh, come on!" he said. "All you had to do was act like you were older! Like thirty or something. Can't you do that?" Arctic said in a stage-whisper, "He's too honest! And childish!" Tails glared at her, then laughed. "True enough."

Shadow rolled his eyes. "No one can do anything right." Arctic smirked and said, "I know I do things right." This had the desired effect of his cheeks turning red. "Not another word." Darius and Shyra sat up, perplexed, as Arctic started laughing. "Are we missing something?" Shyra asked as she and the echidna exchanged a glance. "Nothing at all!" snapped Shadow.

"We agreed that that never happened!" he hissed to Arctic. She looked at him with wide, innocent blue eyes. "That what never happened? You mean the thing the thing that we saw on my cam-"

"Shut up!" Shadow hissed. Shyra muttered to Tails, "Is Shadow... _blushing?_" Tails leaned over and whispered, "I... think... so!" His eyes widened and he tried not to laugh. Shadow glared at everyone, ears twitching, and stormed past the silver fox. "Hey!" she protested as she fell into the dining room table. "Shadow!" He ignored her and barged out the door, ignoring her protests.

Her tails drooped, brushing the ground, and she pressed her ears against her head. "I made him mad, didn't I?" Her shoulders slumped as she pushed herself off of the table. "I never did know when to stop teasing." she muttered. Darius put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey now, it wasn't your fault. He heard Shyra point out that he was blushing. Besides, he's an angry person."

Arctic sighed. "But I still started teasing him, otherwise he wouldn't have gotten mad." Her tails had stopped waving like they normally had. "I'm going for a walk." she said. She grabbed her butterfly and walked out of the door, hunger forgotten. She hesitated at first, wondering where to go, then deicided to take a walk to the city. Satisfied, she started walking towards her destination.

When she reached the city, she stared. A large amount of people were gathered around something and jeering, shouting terrible things. Curious, and in a slightly bad mood, Arctic shoved her way through the crowd to see what was going on. When she reached the center, she gaped in shock, eyes wide, tails lashing. Her ears, which had been flat against her head, straightened.

Because she walked out of the crowd in time to see a battered fox skid to a halt in front of her, having been kicked violently. His fur was white, striped with a light green, while his chest, belly, and the inside of his legs were cream. But that wasn't what shocked her, oh no, of course it wasn't, not at all. She was shocked because he didn't have a tail.

He had three.

i know! im terrible! that was such a short chapter i could chaos blast myself into nothing. **shadow:** i can help you with that. **me:** oh, shut up. just because we fought does not mean that we cant kiss and make up. **shadow:** isnt that what got us into trouble in the first place? **me:** 00 ... ;- ...yes. it was.


	8. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 8:

SHADOW! IM GOING TO KILL YOU! **shadow:** what the hell did i do?! **me:** you freaking poured kool-aid on my white shirt! **shadow:** i did no such thing! **me:** it was in a locked closet with no entry in or out and it had a metal door with 2895 locks. the only way in or out is to know every password and pass every id (fingerprinting, retinal scan, etc.) or chaos control. YOU are the only one i know who uses chaos control regularly. **shadow:** ;OO er... um... ermm... WASNT ME! *flees* **me:** SHADOW! GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE! REFERENCING THAT SONG DOES NOT GIVE YOU A FREE PASS EVEN IF I LIKE IT! *runs after shadow* **darius:** well i guess ill just- **sonic: ***shoves darius out of camera view* arctic does not claim me, shadow, or any other recognizable characters! we belong to sega! she only owns herself, nico, darius, tris, and shyra as well as the plot/storyline or whatever! yes! i finally got to _do_ something! **me and shadow:** *stares at with half-closed eyes* idiot.

Saturday, January 1, 2043, 1:12 a.m. Mobius time

The Forest

Arctic stumbled a bit as she and Shadow materialized. "Ax!" she shouted, darting towards the hollow tree. She pulled back the blanket in front of the hole to reveal the little green-striped fox sitting up, rubbing one eye and yawning. "Arctic? What's wrong?" The silver and white fox grabbed the fox and pulled him into a tight hug. Shadow's ears twitched as the voice from earlier hissed in displeasure.

"_You arrived in time to save the little rat _this_ time, but as soon as you turn your back on him..._" There was the snapping sound of teeth clacking together as a threat. Shadow muttered under his breath, "As long as Ark and me are around, you'll never touch him." The voice rasped, "_But _why_ are you protecting the little one? What would it matter to you if he just..._"

It trailed off, and Shadow knew what it was implying. Why would he care if it killed Axle? He blinked. Why _would_ he care? The kid wasn't anything to _him._ It was- He cut off that thought, but if the voice had eyes, he was sure they would be widening. "_Oooh. I see now... You-_" Shadow shut the voice out and looked at Arctic. She finally released Axle and turned to him.

"That thing, whatever it was, we beat it here." Shadow nodded. Axle looked like Sonic did after Amy finds him. "What's wrong guys?" he muttered, rubbing his eyes. "What's happened?" Arctic sighed, a cross between relief and exhaustion. "Staying up all night's made us hear things. Sorry we woke you. But..." She hesitated. "Just... Be _careful_, okay?"

Axle blinked. "Okay Arctic. I will. Don't worry about me." He gave Arctic a hug and went back into the tree, fur flattening. He curled into a ball as Arctic put the blanket back into place, making the tree look like a regular tree once more. Shadow put a hand on her arm. "Let's go." She nodded. "Let's." Shadow pulled out his emerald and looked at the tree. He was _wrong_. Axle was something to him.

Axle was his kid brother, and he wouldn't fail to protect him like he'd failed Maria.

"Chaos Control."

Saturday, January 1, 2043, 2:22 a.m. Mobius time

Amy Rose's House

Amy rounded the corner and glared pointedly at them, or more specifically, Arctic. Arctic giggled, then said, "Don't you have a question for me?" Shadow blinked. "Huh?" Arctic raised an eyebrow as Sonic walked in and sat down. Shadow blinked. "Oh. The dare. Amy told you to do this, didn't she?" Arctic grinned and nodded, sniggering.

"She said, and I quote, that, "And he better hurry it up or I'll shove my hammer so far up his ass that he'll need about thirty-two surgeries twenty-four/seven at _least._" She must really want to see this." Shadow's eye twitched. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Arctic snickered. "It's making you uncomfortable, so yes." Shadow sighed and dragged his hand down his face, then he used the same approach Sonic had.

"Hey Arctic, you wanna go on a date?" He purposefully left out the last part Sonic had used. He never thought he would quote the faker for something like this. Hell, he never thought he would quote the faker period. Arctic stared at him for a moment. She blinked once. Without any warning whatsoever, she snapped, "No!" Shadow blinked. "Um..."

Arctic's eyes flashed, but then she burst into laughter. "I'm just kidding, you ridiculous hedgehog. Yes, I'll go. But next time, be more original." Shadow blinked. "Um..." Arctic rolled her eyes. Shadow blinked. "Um..." Arctic raised an eyebrow. "Amy! I broke Shadow!" she called in a tattle-tale voice. Amy walked in. Shadow blinked. "Um..." Arctic sighed. "That's the only thing he'll do."

Amy snapped her fingers. "Wait a sec." She walked out, then returned with a steaming pot. She handed it to Arctic and she saw that it was filled with hot water. "Pour that on him." Arctic blinked and shrugged. "Okay, then." She stood on the couch and poured the water on top of the black hedgehog. Shadow hunched, mouth dropping open, and gasped.

"_**ARK!**_" he shouted. Arctic hid the pot behind her. "Ye-es?" she asked, drawing out the "e". Shadow glared at her. "What's behind your back?" he demanded. Arctic shoved the pot into her tail fur and held out her hands. "Nothing."

"Turn around." Arctic obliged, giggling. "If you want to look at my ass all you have to do is say so so that I can tell you no." Shadow turned away. "Sick-o." Arctic grinned and turned back to him. "See you at six?" she said, walking into the kitchen and giving the pot to Amy before moving towards the door. Shadow blinked. "Er-Yeah, see you..."

Amy walked in as Silaya walked out. "Someone's not getting any tonight." Shadow's eye twitched. "Um... I wouldn't _want_ to. That's the thing." Amy rolled her eyes and Shadow's jaw hit the ground at what she said next.

"I'll believe that when hedgehogs fly."

Saturday, January 1, 2043, 7:42 a.m. Mobius time

The City

Arctic flew above the city, admiring the glow of lights. She grinned as she saw the first rosy tinges of dawn and hovered in place. She watched as the sun rose, entranced. The sky gradually began to change colors. She pulled her hair over her shoulder, rebraiding it. She felt the sun touch her as she replaced the onyx dragon pendant and looked up and around. There was nothing to do here, and her tails were tired.

She landed just inside the city. She would go to the mall and do some window shopping. Satisfied that she had something to do she started walking. A rustling behind her told her that something was not-so-subtly following her. She smirked, but didn't turn. She waited until the footsteps were right behind her. She turned around quickly. "Hey Shadow!" she said cheerfully.

The black hedgehog leaped into the air. "Shit! How the hell do you do that?!" "What? Know that you're following me?" she teased. However, Shadow shook his head. "No. Make me laugh, almost scare the shit out of me, those kinds of things." He stared at her, looking bewildered. She blinked. "Are you-" She started laughing, a smirk showing up on her face.

"Oh, _I_ get it! You're yanking my chain, aren't you. I'm sure Sonic and the others do that all the time." She turned and started walking, but he grabbed her arm. "Actually, I'm not. I am totally and completely confused as to how you do it. Normally I'm the serious badass that people have trouble getting to talk outside of battle planning. The most I normally do is smirk."

Arctic stared at him, then winked. "What can I say? I'm too sexy for my cat. I have that effect on people." She winked again and started walking as Shadow facepalmed and dragged his hand over his face. "Why did I have to get stuck with the fox who doesn't care what anybody says?" he muttered. Arctic, though she heard him, kept walking. Shadow sighed and followed, muttering quietly, "Stupid ten missing years..."

Arctic flashed a grin at him. "Hiya stranger. Haven't seen you here before. Oh, wait, yeah I did, you've been following me." Shadow rolled his eyes. "Frikin school girls." he muttered under his breath. Arctic shot him a sharp glare that would put a knife to shame. "What was that, Shadow the Hedgehog?" Shadow blinked. "N-Nothing!" he said, trying his best to look innocent.

Arctic rolled her eyes and opened her mouth, but then just stared as Shadow randomly started spasming as electricity coursed through him. She blinked and looked around. She looked at the twitching black hedgehog and blinked again. "What the hell?" she said finally, incredulous. Shadow managed to get to one knee and pulled aside the fur on his neck to reveal a kind of collar.

"Shock collar, specially made. Amy wanted to make sure I did Faker's dare." Arctic's eye twitched. "So does that mean we _actually_ have to act like a couple or else you get electricuted with like three hundred volts?"

"Two hundred seventy-five, actually, but close enough." Shadow replied as he stood up, panting. Arctic blinked. "Wow. Glad she didn't get to me." Shadow glared at her. "Lucky ass." he muttered. A warning jolt went through him and he grumbled. Arctic giggled in a way that made him uncomfortable. It wasn't neccessarily always a bad thing, but he had learned this giggle. She was going to be her usual mischievous self.

"Okay then." she said coyly. "I suppose we'll just have to give Amy what she wants." She winked and whispered, "And a little more than she bargained for." Shadow grinned. So _that's_ what she was planning. He sighed dramatically. "All right." he muttered. He smirked and held out his arm like he'd seen guys in restaurants do. "Shall we, my dear?" he choked slightly on the last word.

Arctic giggled and said, "We shall." She took his arm and they started walking. Shadow's eye twitched slightly at the feel of affection, but he managed to keep going without throwing up. _So... fluffy..._ he thought, mentally rocking back and forth. He fought down his revulsion about the idea of actually enjoying this and focused on putting one foot in front of the other.

Arctic murmured, "If it helps, just imagine that Sonic told you that if you don't do this, you're more of a wuss than he is." The very idea made Shadow's eye twitch. Or maybe the shock collar went off again. Dunno. Arctic grinned. It worked. She looked at a store's window and stared. There was a costume group that had the Tails doll-which she found creepy as hell, but cute in a weird way at the same time-Sonic the Werehog, and several other creepy versions of the Sonic gang.

She spluttered with laughter when she saw the one in the middle. A cheap costume of Shadow, where you could clearly see where the red had been stitched, had a string with fangs attatched to it. It also included a cheap cape with a red gem to hold it together. Shadow looked over and his eyes widened in horror. "What does the fucking public _see_ me as nowadays?!"

Arctic pulled out her iPhone and typed a few things. Her eye twitched. "Apparently, this." A picture of Shadow was on the screen, but his quills were spiked like Silver's, and he had a twelve pack. Shadow looked at his stomach, then back at the picture. "Um... That is disgusting." Arctic nodded. "It looks like your organs are trying to escape. Besides, there is a distinct difference between an atheletes body and a benched body."

Shadow cocked his head. "How they got their bodies?" Arctic grinned. "No. One tries to hard, where as the other looks good without attempting anything. The latter is fit because he moves. And then there's-" she broke off, staring at the phone in horror. Shadow blinked. What had caused such a strong reaction? Her mouth was wide open and her eye was twitching. Her ears were completely flat against her head.

Shadow peered over her shoulder, but she covered his veiw. "No, Shadow. Don't. You'll be mentally scarred for life." Shadow was curious now. "Come on. I won't flip out." Arctic hesitated, then blinked at him worriedly. "Your funeral." She held up the phone and cringed.

(_**WARNING! SCARY IMAGE AHEAD! IF YOU ARE FAINT OF HEART, DO NOT LIKE BOYxBOY STUFF, OR JUST HAVE A WEAK BELLY, DO. NOT. READ. THE. ITALICS! i saw the following pic on the internet and almost had a panic attack. i dont have a prob w/ bxb or gxg but eh... i just feel a little awkward when people make characters that would more like than not not do that.**_)

_ A picture of Shadow crawling over Sonic was on the screen. Their "frontal areas" were close, and their faces were just a little farther away. Shadow's legs were between Sonic's, and they both were looking at each other lovingly and/or seductively._

The real Shadow's eye twitched and he fell over backwards. Arctic leaned over so that she could see his face. His eyes were closed, as he was unconscious, but his face was a mask of horror. Arctic yelped and knelt next to him. "Shadow?" she asked, poking his cheek. "Shadow? Are you alright?" She did it again. "Shads?" She blinked. "Uh-oooh." An officer walked up to her. "What's going on her missy?" he demanded.

Arctic raised an eyebrow and said one word: "Sonadow." The officers eyes widened in horror. "Oh. Oh, Chaos. Oh-aw that is... Ugh! I'm leaving." He did. Arctic put an ear to Shadow's chest and was relieved to find his heart beating. "Phew..." She thought for a moment, then grunted and slung him over her shoulders in the fireman's carry. He twitched, but otherwise didn't move.

Silaya patted his side. "Hang on, buddy, this is going to be a bumpy flight." She couldn't carry him all the way to Tails' house, so she instead landed on the roof of the mall. She set him down and groaned. "Dammit, Shadow, why today? You just _had_ to pass out on the day I didn't eat breakfast." She thought for a moment, then took a sticky note pad out of her vest, along with a pencil.

She scribbled something down, stuck it to the hedgehog's forehead, and flew down to the ground, headed for the mall. Five minutes later, Shadow groaned as he started to wake up. He felt something on his forehead and sntched it. He looked at it and raised an eyebrow. "Since your dick-ass had to pass out on me the one day I eat nothing, I went to get food. _Stay!_" Shadow shook his head. "Like I'm some common-" he broke off as the collar zapped him.

"Common what?" Arctic had come back. She had a pizza box bigger than her in one hand, and an order of chili dogs in the other. She handed the latter to him and sat on her tails as she opened the pizza box. She pulled out a pizza that had bacon and eggs, along with gooey cheese. Shadow raised an eyebrow and looked at the chili dogs. Arctic huffed. "Don't tell me you don't like that shit?"

"No, no, it's fine, just... Why?" Shadow asked. Silaya raised an eyebrow. "What do you expect. I'm not going to get myself something and not get you anything. I don't swing that way. When our group of rebels, and I mean the large group of thirty-something, mind you, not the feeble shell of an organization we had until recently, was around, if there wasn't enough to go around, everyone else came first. The weaker ate before the stronger."

Shadow blinked. "Huh." Arctic's eyes twinkled. "But, now that there isn't a large group, and now that we don't have to feed everyone before they die, I can buy big ass pizzas for myself if I want." She picked up a piece and shoved it into her mouth. Shadow stared. That one piece was about from her wrist to her elbow. Her cheeks looked like a squirrel and a chipmunk had gotten together and had a fox baby.

Arctic winked as she swallowed. "Liking the veiw, Shaddy-boy?" Shadow gave her a look that said, "are you fucking retarded?" He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Shaddy...boy." he said slowly. "What the hell... Kind of... You know what? Fuck it." Arctic smirked. "Eat your dogs before they get cold." she scolded. Shadow rolled his eyes at her. "Okay, Mom."

She stared at him, shocked. He blinked. "What? Did I say something odd?" She shook her head. "No, it's just... You just made a joke. Without being prompted. And it was old, but _funny_." Shadow's eyes widened as she grinned. "What the hell have you done to me, Woman?!" She raised an eyebrow. "Okay then, Vegeta. Anyway, despite the physical impossibilties of me being your mother, seeing as how you are like fifty years older than me, that was a good one."

Shadow sighed, and while his mouth was open, Arctic shoved a chili dog in his mouth. She giggled as he slapped a hand to his mouth to keep it from falling back out. "Eat before it gets cold, I said." she chided. Shadow rolled his eyes as he chewed and she shoved another piece of pizza into her mouth. He swallowed and muttered, "Chaos save me from girls who don't get the fact that I don't need to eat regul-"

A loud growling interrupted him. Arctic raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I'm guessing your stomach disagrees with you. That's how it looks anyways." Shadow cursed his stomach for its terrible timing and sighed, picking up a chili dog. Arctic beamed at him and picked up another piece of pizza. She took it more slowly on this one. Shadow leaned over and burst into laughter when he saw the pizza box.

There was about four pieces left. If that. Arctic grinned. "What can I say, when I get the chance, I eat a _lot_. I just don't want to challenge Darius. The last time I beat him in an eating comp he moped for a month and wouldn't talk to me, and then he kept challenging me to rematches! He lost all of them until I let him win. Whoops." She grinned. "Shh..."

Shadow shrugged. "Secret's safe." He felt a slight bit of electricity, but ignored it. Out of nowhere, a frying pan smacked him on the back of the head. He fell over, revealing a short-haired human brunette girl with green eyes. A man, also with brown hair, but brown eyes, stood behind her. Arctic blinked. "What..." She glared at the girl. "You killed Shadow you bitch!" she screeched. The girl's eyes widened.

The man behind her shook his head and arms frantically. "No, no! He's not dead! She's done that to me before, don't worry! He's just unconscious." Arctic glared. "And was there a specific reason you just clonked my friend?" Her eyes narrowed. "You have ten seconds to come up with a legit answer. If I don't like it, I will Chaos Blast you into oblivion. I may not be as good as Shadow at that, but I'm still a badass."

She pulled the green Chaos emerald out of Shadow's quills and glared. "Ten..." The man waved his arms. "Wait, wait, wait! I can explain. We were kind of teleported here by an evil witch who wanted revenge on my wife here so she sent us here so that Rapunzel couldn't claim her throne." Arctic stared at him through half-closed eyes. "You were sent here."

"Yes."

"By a witch."

"Yes."

"Who wanted your wife's throne."

"Yes."

"And your wife... Is Repunzel."

"Yes, that's pretty much the gist of it."

Arctic sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "That doesn't explain why _you smacked Shadow upside the head with a fucking frying pan!_" Both the man and Repunzel fliched. The man opened one eye. "Erm... Maybe we got off on the wrong foot." He held up his hands and grinned. "My name is Flynn Rider-" Repunzel glared. "-I mean Eugene, and this is my wife Repunzel. We got sucked into a vortex by an evil witch and we need help going back so please help us?"

Arctic facepalmed. Eugene suddenly looked around. "Wait a minute why is everyone here a human-animal mix?" Arctic raised an eyebrow. "We're Mobians. You are on a planet known as Mobius. The people who live on Mobius, the Mobians, are anthropomorphic creatures. If you have a problem with it, I will take my katana-" she drew the blade, which no one had noticed her pull out.

"-and shove it so far up your ass that when you try to pull it out, you had better be that bitch off of _The Sword and the Stone_. Otherwise, the only person ripping this bitch out is me. And I'll tell you to keep it, I'll get a new one." Eugene's eye twitched. "Eeeeehhh..." was the only sound he made. He finally squeaked, "Nope, no problems, who has a problem, you, I sure don't."

Repunzel shook her head and Arctic sheathed her katana. "Good. Now why the hell did you smack my boyfriend with a frying pan?" Repunzel blinked. "A black and red anthro-whatever hedgehog is your boyfriend?" Arctic glared. "He is a boy, and he is my friend. Hence the term. But for today, thanks to an awkward game of truth or dare, yes, he is. Do I need to threaten you with my bow?"

She pulled out the weapon and notched an arrow in two seconds flat. The two humans' eyes widened. "Did she have that a second ago?" whispered Eugene, a slight squeak to his voice. Repunzel shook her head. Arctic growled, "Now, I will ask _one more time._ Why in the _hell_ did you _smack Shadow the fucking Hedgehog_ upside the _head_ with a _frying pan?!_"

Repunzel cowered behind Eugene, who said, "It wasn't me!" Arctic blinked at the reference. Judging from the clothes that looked like they were for royalty, these two clearly came from midieval areas. She growled.

"I'm going to say this_ once._ Eh-hem. Listen here you little bitch! Get the fuck out of here and leave us alone or I will rip your face off and shove it-" Shadow slapped a hand over her face. There was muffled yelling, and when he released her, she finished, "-shove you into the fiery depths of hell!" Shadow's eye twitched. "Are you _crazy!?_" She glared. "I always have been!" She slapped him. "What made you thing I was sane?!"

She blinked. "Wait a sec. Weren't you just unconscious?"

Shadow shot up as cold water drenched him. Sonic stood over him as he sat on the couch. Sonic tossed a bucket to the side. "Good. You're awake." Shadow looked at the T.V., where the title screen for _Tangled_ was on. He looked up at Sonic. "I am never watching a Disney movie again." Sonic rolled his eyes. "Thank Chaos. I thought you'd never end your obsession."

His eyes sparked. "Now we can get on to more important things." He shoved Shadow to the couch and the black hedgehog screamed, knowing what was going through the blue blur's head.

A sudden jolt quickly woke him up, and he sat up, shocked. Quite literally, too. Arctic leaned over him, electricity dancing over her black-leather-gloved hands. The sparks fizzled out and she sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. I thought you were dead." Shadow blinked, hyperventilating. "What the hell happened to me?!" he wheezed, grabbing her shoulders tightly.

Arctic winced. "We were sitting on here, eating, and a giant metal frisbee clonked you upside the head. You passed out, but the collar shocked you. For the first few hours you were okay, but then your stopped heart for a little while." Shadow shivered and looked around. They were still on top of the mall, but now snow was starting to fall and it was starting to get dark. "What time is it?" he asked, breathing slowing a little.

Arctic looked at her wrist. "Four-forty-five p.m. Why?" Shadow blinked. "I've been unconscious all day from a collar and a frisbee?" Arctic shrugged. "It was livewire if it makes you feel better. My fur stood up just being near it." A loud voice suddenly screamed, "_**SOOOONIIIIC!**_" For once, it wasn't Amy, as the voice shouted, "_**I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!**_" Arctic blinked. "Tails?" she said, confused.

Shadow got to his feet with Arctic's help. Tails flew past them, looking for something. He saw them and stopped. "Have you seen Sonic or a metal disk?" Arctic blinked. "You mean the one that just zapped the living shit out of Shadow?" Tails groaned. "I _told_ Sonic not to mess with it! I _told_ him it was live! But he _didn't listen!_" Arctic raised an eyebrow and held up the disc. "This?"

Tails landed and grabbed it. "Yeah! Thanks!" He glared. "Now to kill Sonic." He flew off and Arctic's eye twitched. "Wow. That is completely out of character." Eye twitching, Shadow nodded. "Uh-huh." Arctic scratched her neck. "We should probably go and get ready." Shadow blinked. "For what?" Arctic gave him a look. "Oh." he said. "The date thing. Got it."

Arctic rolled her eyes and pulled the Chaos emerald out of his quills. "Hey!" he protested. Arctic grinned. "Look what I can do." she teased. "Look, I'm Shadow!" She held the emerald out in an extremely Shadow-like manner and said, "Chaos Control!" Something bothered Shadow for a heartbeat, just as she disappeared, a stunned look on her face. No flashing lights, nothing. Just... Gone. Shadow blinked, then rubbed his eyes.

When he opened them, there was still no Arctic. "What the fuuuuuck...?" he said, utterly stunned. Without warning, he fell to his face in the snow. Laughing sounded behind him. "Got you!" Silaya's voice giggled. Shadow looked up, then kept going up until he could see Arctic. "How the hell...?" Arctic beamed. "I grabbed the Chaos emerald, and while you were distracted by the fact that I screwed up one of your quills, I moved behind you."

"My qui-Hey!" Shadow said, just noticing that she had indeed misplaced his quill. While he fixed it, she explained, "It was a small enough change to distract you subconsciously, while I moved." Shadow blinked. "So _that's_ what that was. Huh. Gonna have to use that on the Faker." Arctic winked. "Still stealing my things, eh?" Shadow rolled his eyes. "Shut up."

The black hedgehog pushed himself up and shook the snow out of his fur/quills. Arctic smirked and handed him his emerald. "Chaos Control!" Nothing happened. He shook the emerald slightly and shouted again, "I said, _Chaos Control!_" Still nothing. Shadow raised an eyebrow and held out his hand to Arctic, who put the real Chaos emerald in it.

Shadow rolled his eyes as she took the fake emerald. "Chaos Control!"

Saturday, January 1, 2043, 5:45 p.m. Mobius time

Amy Rose's House

Arctic groaned. "Take it easy with the brush! You're not an ax murderer as far as I know!" Rouge paused in brushing her hair. "Well if you brushed it more often, we wouldn't have a knot problem." Amy rolled her eyes. "She wouldn't have a knot problem had someone not tried to put a really tight bun in it." Blaze nodded. "I'd have to agree with that."

Rouge glared at them. Cosmo sighed. "Why must you three always argue." She glared at Rouge and Amy. "Mainly _you_ two." Amy whistled innocently while Rouge went back to Arctic's hair. "Why do I have to be "prettyfied" anyway? I think I look okay, if I do say so myself. It's Shadow who needs help." Amy shrugged. "Oh, don't worry, the boys have got that."

Saturday, January 1, 2043, 5:54 a.m. Mobius time

Tails' House

Shadow snapped, "Watch it! You are _not_ messing with my quills!" Sonic backed up. Silver rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Sonic, even I knew that he wouldn't let us do his quills, Amy or no." Tails facepalmed. "Silver, have you ever heard of the term "worth a shot?" That would be Sonic's excuse." Darius walked in. "Hey guys, Amy called and said, and I quote, "Hurry your asses up before she shoves her Piko Piko hammer up them." In her words exactly."

The three hedgehog's eyes widened and Knuckles walking in. "I found that hair gel." He looked at Shadow. "Aaaand he didn't let you touch them. Damn." Shadow shrugged. His phone rang and he answered. "Hellooo?" he asked. "_**SHADOW GET YOUR ASSES INTO HIGH GEAR AND GET THE FUCK UP HERE BEFORE I COME DOWN THERE AND SHOVE ARCTIC'S BOW UP THEM!**_" Arctic's voice protested, "Hey! My bow may be a little less than invincible, but that doesn't mean that it can survive a guy's ass!"

Shadow heard a click, signaling that Amy had hung up. He shakily put the phone into his pocket and looked in the mirror. He wore a dark leather jacket along with a pair of jeans and a black muscle shirt. At first he had protested this, but Sonic insisted that girls loved a guy with a nice body that was willing to show off. And Shadow had still protested. In the end, Sonic had won by making Silver use telekinesis to put the shirt on.

Shadow sighed and ran a hand through his quills. _At least they're letting me keep my shoes._ he thought wryly. "Oh, I almost forgot. I forced-er... _asked_ Tails to make you new shoes!" Sonic said cheerfully. They looked just like his skates but pure black. Shadow sighed. They probably didn't have half the cool shit that his hover shoes had, but he put them on anyway.

A text from Amy caused everyone to look at their phones. It read, _You jackasses have thirty to get here starting at five fifty seven._ They looked at the time. It was five fifty-seven. They darted out of there, Silver using telekinesis to help Tails keep up. They arrived at Amy's in about ten seconds tops. Amy opened the door. "Nice of you to show up before six." she said drily.

They walked in and Silver immediately sat on the couch. Tails sat on the floor while Sonic hid inside his tails from Amy. Shadow folded his arms, sighing, while Darius leaned against the wall and looked at his watch. There was a sudden shout, causing all of the guys to leap up. "What the hell was _that,_ Rouge!? I like my fur how is- Ouch!" Arctic's shriek came from upstairs.

Shadow blinked. "What the fuck is Rouge doing? Cutting her tail off?" Tails glared. "Not funny." Sonic popped his head out and waved his hands, indicating that Shadow should shut up." Shadow blinked again. "Er-Sorry, Tails, bad choice of words." Tails blinked. Shadow was _apologizing_? What was this world coming to? The twin-tailed kit nodded.

Another screech from Arctic caused everyone to clap their hands over their ears. "Rouge! Don't _touch_ that! _Rouge!_ Back off the onyx!" Shadow blinked. "Onyx?" he said, raising an eyebrow. Amy rolled her eyes. "You know, the black dragon she keeps in her hair?" Shadow blinked. "Oh. Right." Rouge's voice came, "Stop being a baby. You're wearing your hair down and that's that."

Arctic grumbled something and the was a loud smack. "Rouge! Stop hitting me!" Rouge laughed, "Then don't say that." Arctic snapped, "I said nothing! I did no wrong!" Darius snorted. "Uh huh." Cosmo's voice said, "Stop arguing! Rouge, unecessary roughness! Here, let me do it." Arctic's voice said eagerly, "Yeah, let her do it! She'll be considerably more gentle."

A loud smack. "_**OW!**_" Arctic cried. "Rouge!" Blaze snapped, "Stop hitting her!" Cosmo sighed, "Move, I'll take care of this." There was the sound of scuffling, then Rouge literally came flying down the stairs, looking nervous. "Did you guys know that she could electrocute people? Anyone?" Everyone exchanged a glance and Shadow said, "I think it's those gloves. They also work as defibrillators."

Everyone stared at him and he said, "Long story." There was silence. Arctic had stopped complaining. Rouge landed and was holding her arms, shivering. She muttered something about "anger issues" and "bitch is crazy" before sitting next to Silver on the couch. Tail poked into his tail fur at Sonic. "Dude, stop that. You're making my tails itch. Flatten your quills or stop _moving!_"

Amy glared at the fur impeding her from going after "her Sonic" and huffed. Finally, Blaze came down. "Cosmo's almost done. They just need to get the dress on." There was loud laughter and everyone turned to see Shadow clutching his stomach. "Th-That tomboy is going to wear a _dress?!_ No wonder she tried to kill Rouge!" He continued to laugh.

Rouge pouted. "It's not _that_ bad-" she broke off and stared at the stairs. "I am _not_ doing that! This is not prom, and you guys are _not_ my parents!" Shyra and Tris appeared, Arctic between them, trying to get her to walk down the steps normally. "I'll walk how I want to walk!" Arctic snapped, hair free of it's normal braid. She whipped her head around to glare at Shyra.

"Let _go_ of me! I mean it! I refuse to- Gah!" She tripped over the hem of her dress. Tris and Shyra lost their grip and Silaya went rolling. Everyone blinked as she smacked into the wall at the bottom. Several coats fell on top of her. Shadow took a step towards her as she sat up, holding her head in one hand and shaking it. She was wearing her fingerless leather gloves.

A coat stayed on her head as the others fell off. The onyx dragon hung from a lock of her hair, right next to her face. The rest of her hair hung over her shoulders. Her silver dragon pendant around her neck was clearly visible, the blue gem that was its eye glinting. Her silvery-white braces remained in place, glowing slightly. She blinked and sprang to her feet, looking completely unruffled except for the coat on her head.

"Are you all right?" Shadow asked. She nodded. "I'm fine." She tossed the coat to the side, revealing the dress she wore. It was light gray and black. Gray was the main color, while the black snaked around her shoulder blades and chest like vines. It went to just above her knees on the right, barely brushed the ground on the left, and had one shoulder strap. She rolled her eyes and mouthed, _Rouge._

Shadow nodded sagely. "Well, as long as you're not hurt." he said, rolling his eyes. Shyra, at the top of the stair, fell over. "The hopeless romantic." she muttered. Rouge's ears twitched and she nodded at her opposite approvingly. The ebony and ivory bats exchanged a respectful nod. Tris rolled her eyes. Darius blinked. "Where's Nico?" he asked.

Everyone looked around them and shrugged. Nico's voice came, "I-I'm over here." Arctic pulled open the closet door to reveal Nico in a tighter dress than Arctic's, while his arms were tied together. "Nico!" Arctic gasped. She untied the ropes and he literally ripped off the dress, then glared at Shyra. "You rabies infested black rat!" he snapped. "Why the hell would you do that?!"

Arctic glared and put an arm around the cat. "It's all right, Nico." She added in a whisper, "You can embarrass her later." Nico paused, then nodded. "Fine." Arctic rolled her eyes and released him. "Now let's get this thing over with, Shadow." she muttered. Shadow raised an eyebrow, then nodded. Amy wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Try not to have _too_ much fun, you two."

Arctic rolled her eyes. "If we have _any_ fun. Chaos help us if _that_ happens." Everyone except her, Shadow, Nico, Blaze, and Darius fell over comically. Darius and Shadow echanged a glance, while Arctic rolled her eyes. Nico just sighed. "Idiots..." he muttered. Arctic huffed. "Let's just go." Everyone got up. Blaze rolled her eyes. "All right then. See you."

Rouge and Amy shoved Shadow and Silaya outside, into the snow. Arctic tripped and crashed into Shadow, sending the both tumbling into the snow, Arctic on the bottom. The fox tried to push the hedgehog off, but he was to heavy. The snow melted under her, soaking her fur. Her hair was scattered around her. "Ummm Shadow? You want to get up anytime soon?"

Shadow blinked. "Oh, shit! My bad!" He leaped to his feet and scratched the back of his head as Arctic pushed herself up. She brushed the snow of and wrung out her fur. "Brr!" she said, shivering. She grinned, then threw a snowball at him. "Where are we going anyway?" Shadow patted his pockets. "If I knew I'd tell you. Some kind of ballroom joint I guess."

Arctic sighed. "Joy..." She started walking. Shadow raised a brow. "Where're you going?" Arctic glanced back at him as she grinned. He blinked as she said, "I've only heard of one ballroom place since I got here." Shadow glanced at the paper he pulled from his pocket and saw that she was headed the right way. "Whatever." he muttered under his breath.

"This is going to end badly either way."

Saturday, January 2, 2043, 6:13 p.m. Mobius time

Ballroom Party

Arctic stared around. "They put a lot into this for such a short term thing." she said, refering to Sonic and the others. Shadow shrugged. "I blame Amy. She does whatever Faker asks." Arctic nodded. "Fair point." He shrugged and said, "Let's go, then." Arctic grabbed his arm, surprising him. She shrugged. "May as well give them what they want."

Shadow shrugged and they walked in. Arctic scanned the elaborate ballroom. "This is going to end badly." Shadow muttered. Arctic squeezed his arm slightly and nodded, as though he had said something she agreed with, and he followed her gaze with his eyes. A pair of hedgehogs, one blue, one silver, were in the far corner of the room. They almost blended in with the painting behind them.

Shadow flicked his gaze around the room, Arctic doing the same. "Blaze is under the balcony, along with Amy and Rouge. They actually bothered to disguise themselves." Shadow muttered. Blaze was wearing a purple cowl along with a purple dress that covered everything except her hands and above her neck. Amy wore the same except red.

Rouge was wearing a strapless black dress with a pinkish purple heart-shape, using her wings like a shawl. She had her hair/head fur pulled into a ponytail with some covering her eye. Arctic blinked. "Pretty decent disguises, besides the colors. But what really gave them away is that they tried so hard. Besides Rouge I guess." Shadow grinned. "We're gonna have to give em a show, then, eh?"

Arctic laughed quietly and nodded. "Let's." She looped her arm through his and leaned against him. His eye twitched indiscernably. _So... Much... Fuzzy...!_ his badass half rasped, trying to drag itself away. _Get over yourself, it's just an act._ chided his uncaring part. _Ssssh! We don't know that-_ Shadow cut off his brain for a second before his side that held his thoughtful, OMG-what-if-this-could-happen emotions could completely return to life.

"Die, bitch." he muttered quietly. Arctic looked up at him. "If you want me dead, kill me. And for the record, I am not a bitch. Do I look like a bitch to you? Huh? I am not a dog." Shadow shook his head. "No, Ark, not you." Arctic blinked, looking at him then looking away quickly multiple times. "O-Okay then...?" she said, clearly confused.

Shadow shrugged apologetically. "Talking to myself." Arctic's eye twitched and she pulled away from him. "O-Oh... Oh Chaos... Sonic was right! You are a suicidal emo! Oh, Chaos, Shadow! Don't fucking do it bro, we'll work through this, we'll-" Shadow clapped a hand over her mouth. "Ark! No! Wait, Sonic said I was a suicidal emo?" Arctic nodded, Shadow's hand relieving her of speech.

Shadow removed his hand and crossed his arms. "That bitch and I are going to have words." Arctic cocked her head. "So you _aren't_ going to kill yourself?" Shadow rolled his eyes and shook his head. Arctic blinked. "Wow. This is more awkward than the dream we all had at the same time. It's always kinda awkward when people have the same dreams cuz then you know what they dream about."

"Wait a sec... That dream... Did you _really_ just _kiss_ me at the end?" Arctic winked. "That never happened, remember?" Shadow facepalmed. "What the fucking hell..." he sighed. "You just love knocking me off balance, don't you?" A twinkle in her eye told him he was right. "Maybe. The thing is, it's fun. Mainly because I know that no one else could throw you off like I can."

Shadow huffed and said, "Darius and Knuckles are over by the punchbowl. They look like they'd rather be anywhere else. They're probably going to bail any time now." Sure enough, the two echidnas slunk off as soon as Amy's back was turned. A light bulb went off above Arctic's head. Shadow poked it and it disappeared in a puff of white smoke.

"I have an idea!" Arctic said. "Later, before we leave, we get into a big "fight" and storm off. It'll be great. And then, when they follow us, we meet up in the park at midnight and give them hell." Shadow blinked. "That's a great idea. I should have thought of that. Try to add some waterworks, okay?" Arctic sighed and nodded. "Right. And fake or not, try not to really be mean."

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "No promises, but I'll be less mean than I would be. And ah... Make it realistic." Arctic smirked. "No other way to do it, Shads. The realistic way is the only way." Shadow blinked. What had he gotten himself into? "Hey Shadow?" Arctic asked. Shadow looked at her. "Ye-es?" Arctic blinked. "If I ask you one question, will you honestly answer me?"

Shadow sighed. "One." Arctic tipped her head to one side. "Have you actually ever considered going emo or suicidal?" Shadow's eyes widened. "Are you fucking insane?" he hissed. "No, you stupid psycho-bitch!" The silver fox's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What was that, Shadow the Hedgehog?" Shadow blinked in uneasiness at the way she said his name and he searched for a change in subject.

"Er-Your hair looks good out of a braid. I like it. It's nice." he said quickly. Arctic blinked. "Er-You do?" Shadow nodded slightly, realizing that it wasn't a lie. Her hair actually looked better down. "Er-Yeah. It actually looks kind of better. To me, anyway. I'm no girl or anything, so I wouldn't know what looks good to other girls, but I do kind of like it."

Arctic blinked again. "Well... Thanks, then." Shadow nodded and inwardly sighed in relief. He had just barely managed to keep his hide from becoming a cheap rug yet again. He sighed. There was still one problem.

He was still dead anyway.

Saturday, January 2, 2043, 11:46 p.m. Mobius time

Ballroom Party

"Great. Now we don't have to dance." Shadow said as his blue counterpart went into the bathroom. "We can just say we did." Arctic rolled her eyes. "Amy will tell Sonic and Sonic will never let you live it down how you were too much of a chicken to suck it up and dance." A vein twitched in Shadow's temple. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right.

He sighed. "I should have Chaos Controlled out of that party when I had the chance." Arctic yawned. "Yeah, then maybe we could actually be sleeping right now. I'm no Ultimate Lifeform. I need to sleep more than once every two days. Let's just get this done, fake argue, and get revenge so that we can sleep." Shadow blinked. She _did_ look tired. And it didn't help that she snuck out late at night to see Axle sometimes.

Shadow nodded. "Okay, then. I hope you know what you're doing." She smirked. "Oh, dear Shadow, I _always_ know what I'm doing." Shadow sighed. "Famous last words." Just then, the music slowed down and couples got together to dance. Arctic groaned. "Oh, the irony. It couldn't have been the Cupid Shuffle or something speedy, it _had_ to be a slow song." She sighed. "Let's go, Shadow."

Shadow complied reluctantly. They stood for a moment, then Shadow asked, "So... How do we do this?" Arctic blinked. "You don't know how to dance?" She sighed as Shadow shook his head. "We're screwed, because I don't either." She looked around. "Well then... Let's just copy them." She beckoned to the other Mobians in the room. Shadow blinked.

"I think that is one of the smartest things you've said since I met you." Arctic grinned slightly, hair falling into her eyes. Shadow remembered a movie he'd seen once and brushed it behind her ear. (**shadow:** dont ask! rouge made me! **me:** uh huh.) Arctic smirked. "Slow down there, lover boy." she whispered, eyes twinkling. Shadow rolled his eyes. "Shut up. Let's do this, I guess."

She shrugged and put a hand on his shoulder and took his in her other one. Shadow glanced at a couple a few feet away and put his free hand on her waist. They copied the motions everyone else was doing, and soon got the hang of it. "Well this would be fun if you'd stop stepping on my feet." Shadow blinked. "That guy keeps doing it." Arctic raised an eyebrow.

"Do you see anyone else doing it? He's probably a terrible dancer." Shadow made a "fair point" gesture with his head. Arctic grinned. "I've never seen you do that." Shadow blinked. "You haven't have you?" Arctic smirked. "I've never seen you drink hot chocolate or coffee either." Shadow blinked. "Hot chocolate? Who wants to drink hot chocolate? How would you even make that? Melt Hershey bars?"

Arctic blinked. "You don't even know what hot chocolate is?" Shadow tipped his head to the side and Arctic said, "It's pretty much warm chocolate milk." Shadow still looked confused and Arctic facepalmed. "Note to self: make you hot cocoa later." She replaced her hand on his shoulder and he asked, "I thought you said it was hot chocolate...?" Arctic sighed.

"It's to shorten it up. Most of the time people call it "a cup of cocoa" or "hot cocoa." It just depends on how lazy people are feeling." The song ended and they pulled away gratefully. "So how are we going to start an argument?" Shadow muttered. Arctic hissed, "I'll "accidentally trip" you. You pretend to fall and start yelling at me, and then we execute the rest of the plan."

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Execute? What are we, the-" he broke off as her foot came out just enough for him to trip. He purposely did so and fell forward. "Ouch!" Arctic winced. "Oh my Chaos, are you all right, Shadow?"

"What do you care? I would be fine, if your ass hadn't tripped me!" he snapped, wincing as he pushed himself up. Arctic looked at him, a hurt expression on her face. "Well sor-ry. It was an accident, jackass!" she snapped. Shadow growled. "A jackass, am I, you stupid bitch?" A growl rumbled deeply in Arctic's throat. It was slightly scary coming from her, and Shadow mentally slapped himself for being a baby.

"Yes, you are! I have tried to be nothing but nice to you since I got here, and all you're good at is being a dick!" Arctic crossed her arms and got into the black hedgehog's face. By now, Amy and the others had noticed they were arguing and were looking slightly nervous. Shadow snarled, "I was trying to get your fake self to stay away from me! That was me being nice about it, but I should have Chaos blasted you when I had the chance!"

Arctic flinched and for a second Shadow thought he had actually hurt her feelings, but there was an amused twinkle in her eyes, so he dismissed this idea. "Well then why didn't you? Were you to much of a _coward_ to hurt a girl?" Shadow rolled his eyes. "You're such a sensitive little bitch, aren't you? Then only reason I didn't turn you into a bloody spot was because you helped Tails, and I don't dismiss favors!"

Arctic's eyes narrowed. "Then do what you have to! Kill me right here, right now! Turn me into a "bloody spot," you suicidal, egotistical, emo mutt!" Shadow snarled angrily, though he fought the urge to snicker. "Are you sure I'm the suicidal one? You seem in a hurry to die, you stuck up, pussy little cocksucker." Her eyes widened. "_Excuse_ you?! In case you hadn't noticed, I don't "suck" anything! I'm a virgin, you dickhead!"

Shadow laughed. "I'll believe that when I learn to grow wings and fly! You probably left where you came from because everyone knew you whored around with every guy you met, so you came here so that no one would call you out!" Silaya growled and pulled out her katana. "You seem to have a quick tongue. I wonder how quick it'll be when I cut it off!"

Shadow pulled out his Chaos emerald and summoned a Chaos spear. "Not my real katana!" Arctic hissed. Shadow blinked at her to show he'd heard and snapped, "Maybe you should cut off your dick! If you're going to pretend to be a girl, look like one everywhere!" Arctic's eyes narrowed, amusement crackling in them like flames in a fire pit. "Looks like we have something in common! I don't have one!"

Shadow fought the urge to snigger. That had been a good one. Shadow pulled back his arm to give her some warning and threw the Chaos spear at her. She dove out of the way and came at him with her katana. He tossed another spear and she blocked it with the katana, which snapped. The blade flew to Shadow's feet and Arctic held the useless hilt in her hand.

She stared at it, looking stunned. "You... You bitch!" she shouted. She dropped the hilt and glared at Shadow as he picked up the blade. "I got that from my father!" She flew at him. Shadow reacted before he could think. He threw the blade. It sailed straight at Arctic, who looked too surprise to do anything. She barely ducked to the side, but not in time.

She screeched in pain as the blade buried itself in her shoulder. The Chaos spear that Shadow had started conjuring dissipated. Shadow stared in shock as Arctic gasped in pain. Face twisted in pain, she slid the blade out of her shoulder painfully. Blood coated it about to the middle. It had partially cut the strap of Arctic's dress. She hesitantly extended a hand to the wound and hissed as she touched it.

She looked up at Shadow, eyes wide. "Oh Chaos... Ark..." Shadow began. The fox shook her head and fled the building. Shadow took off after her, but she was gone as soon as he burst through the door. He shook his head. She had said that the katana was fake, hadn't she? "No... She didn't!" Shadow realized aloud. "She just said it wasn't her real one! Oh, fuck... I messed up!" He darted off in a random direction.

For a moment, he wondered if she'd go to the park. It was worth a shot, right? He shrugged helplessly and darted in that direction. He glared at the shoes that Tails had made as he cut through the forest and ran. "You suck." he told them. "Who sucks?" said a feminine voice. Shadow skidded to a halt looked around. He blinked, then leaped into the air as Arctic landed next to him.

"Here's a tip: Always look up. It's the last place everyone checks." She grinned and pointed up at the pine tree that hung above them. Shadow blinked. Why wasn't she yelling at him or something for actually hurting her? He glanced at her shoulder, where blood still welled up. She followed his gaze and waved a hand dismissively. "Pfft. Flesh wound."

She turned and started walking. "We'd better hurry. I left a trail going to the park." Shadow noticed blood was coming from the back of her shoulder too and he grabbed her good one. "_That_ is not a flesh wound. That damn blade went all the way through your fucking shoulder!" Arctic rolled her eyes. "I've had worse." Shadow raised and eyebrow and she grinned sheepishly. "Okay maybe not _that_ much worse."

She shrugged her good shoulder. "But I'm fine. Honest." Shadow sighed. "Ark. You just had a blade go straight through your shoulder. You are not _fine_." Arctic blinked, then her eyes lit up. "I see what this is about! You feel _guilty!_" Shadow cringed. "N-No!" Arctic grinned. "Come on, admit it! You feel guilty that you threw the katana blade at me!"

Shadow growled. "So what if I do? I'm only Mobian, after all..." Arctic walked around him, smirking. "You _do_ feel guilty! Only Mobian, my ass. Says the one who always boasts about being the "Ultimate Lifeform" and all! You're not immune to emotions, Mister Ultimate Lightbulb!" Shadow sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It was your fault anyway! You told me that the katana wasn't your real one-"

"So you figured that I meant a real blade?" Arctic interrupted. Shadow nodded mutinously. "Had I known it was real, I wouldn't have thrown it!" Arctic grinned. "I know." Shadow's eyes widened. "That's what you were going for." he said, stunned. Arctic nodded. "Of course. I mean, I didn't expect to get more or less stabbed, but of course. I knew you wouldn't do anything to or with it if you thought it was real."

Shadow facepalmed. "Well, fuck." he muttered. Arctic rolled her eyes. "Come on, then! We have a few Mobians to get back at." Shadow raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly are we doing for that?" Arctic grinned and showed her shoulder to him. Blood ran down her arm. "Just follow my lead, and we'll scare the hell out of them in the end." Shadow snickered. "They are _so_ going to kill us later." Arctic smirked.

"Today is a good day to die! Let's go. Wait a minute... Shadow, what are you doing with that? I wasn't serious! Shadow!"

Sunday, January 3, 2043, 12:15 a.m. Mobius time

The Park

Amy stared at the park with Sonic, Blaze, Silver, and Rouge, whom she had led along the trail of blood Arctic had probably left when she'd fled. Rouge huffed. "Why would she go to the park?" Silver blinked. "Clear her head, maybe? No one comes here this late at night. Even the goths and emos either leave by now or come much later."

Balze glared. "And you would know this _how_ exactly?" Silver shrugged. "I've seen kids sneak out." The lavender cat glared at him for a moment, then nodded. Amy rolled her eyes and Sonic said, "Silver's source of knowledge aside, we should probably find Arctic. She got hit pretty deep." Rouge blinked. "That is one of the smartest things I have ever heard you say."

Sonic glared. Blaze rolled her eyes. "Both of you shut up." She started walking along the blood trail, Silver behind her. "Forget the human's Trail of Tears." Amy muttered as she, Rouge, and Sonic followed. "This is the Trail of Blood." Blaze froze, her fur standing on end. "Oh, Chaos, no..." she said, eyes wide with horror. She sprinted forward.

The others followed her and stared at the ground. Arctic lay there, dress tattered, completely limp. The snow around her was completely soaked in blood. Her bad shoulder was buried in the snow, clearly the source of the red snow. There were several more cuts elsewhere. Her eyes fluttered open. "B-Blaze?" she rasped, eyes locking with the lavender cat's.

Blaze nodded. "Yeah, I'm here. What happened? You weren't hurt this badly at the party!" Arctic coughed. "I... Met Shadow here... and at first everything was okay... But then, for no reason... He got angry, really angry, and lashed out... He did this... And I couldn't beat him. He's lost it... Get out of here before he comes back. Now I have... To go... I can see... My mom... And my dad... See you..."

She sighed and closed her eyes. Blaze's eyes widened. "A-Arctic?" She touched the silver vixen's throat. "Th-There's no pulse!" She rolled the other Mobian on to her back and screamed. Arctic's bad shoulder wasn't there. Only a bloody stump where her arm had been. The cat fainted and Silver caught her. He picked her up and backed away, looking like he was going to be ill.

Amy _was_ ill. She darted over to a bush and retched uncontrollably. Rouge's visible eye widened (and maybe the one covered by her fur, but no one could see it, so we'll never know.) and she leaned against a tree. Sonic gaped. "Oh, Chaos... Shadow's really lost it this time." Laughter from behind made him whip around. "That I have, Sonic the Hedgehog."

It was Shadow, except he looked different. His pupils were red, while the rest of his eye was completely black. Red liquid poured from his eyes. A terrifying grin was plastered to his face. Sonic's eyes widened in horror. "Exe!" he whispered horsely. grinned wider. "Let's play hide-and-seek. I'm _it_." Sonic, Rouge, and Silver's eyes stretched wide in terror.

Tails came running from the woods. "Sonic I heard what happened to-" He stared at Shadow. "Hey, Shadow! Why'd you do that to Arctic?" he demanded, running at him and stopping in front of the black hedgehog. Sonic shouted, "No, Tails, he's-!" It was too late. Shadow whipped around and grabbed Tails by the throat. "I am God!" he shouted, eyes wide in insanity.

He jerked his wrist and there was a loud _squelch!_ Tails' body fell to the ground. Emphasis on _body._ His head and neck remained in 's hand. The black hedgehog grinned even wider as blood spattered the ground. He dropped the dead kitsune's head and turned. Blood dripped from his eyes. "Who's next?" He looked at Arctic's body. "Such a shame to make a face that pretty go to waste."

He extended a glowing blue hand. The same glow surrounded the silver fox and she rose, normally sparkling blue eyes as dull as the pebbles in a stream. She walked over to Shadow, clearly not noticing the blood pouring from the stump where her arm used to be. Her eye color started to fade and change. She closed her eyes and the glow around her faded.

She turned to Sonic and the others and her eyes flashed open. They had red pupils, while the rest was black. Rouge yelled, "Oh, great, now we have to deal with _two_ .exes?!" Amy sat up and turned, then her eyes widened. She let out a piercing scream and ran to Sonic. "Save me!" she wailed. Sonic struggled to breath. (would she count as .exe?) cocked her head, bloody tears starting to pour down her face.

She wasn't grinning yet, but she was still creepy. "Save me!" she wailed, her voice perfectly mimicking Amy's. She took a step forward, but then the .exe whatever completely overcame her. A wide grin that was even wider that 's stretched over her face. "Want to play?" she hissed. smirked and put an arm around her. "Let's!" he snarled. The two .exes dashed forward.

grabbed Sonic and Rouge by the throat, while wrapped an arm around Amy's. Silver stared in horror as appeared before him. She grabbed his throat, almost making him drop Blaze. "Can we kill them?" the silver fox begged. 's grin stretched even wider, if that was possible. "Patience, my dear , patience." he purred.

pouted. thought for a moment, then said, "Fuck patience, kill them!" The other .exe's eyes widened in excitement, and she tightened her grip on Amy and Silver's throats. The two regular Mobians closed their eyes, waiting to die. Without warning, laughter filled their ears, along with Rouge and Sonic's whimpers. The four opened their eyes as and released them.

The two wiped their eyes as more bloody tears fell down their cheeks. grinned as she walked over to . "We got them, Shadow!" The black hedgehog grinned, this one not creepy, but amused. "We did, didn't we Ark?" Sonic and Rouge exchanged a glance, while Silver and Amy looked ready to faint. whipped around, the creepy grin back on her face, but she couldn't hold it there.

She smirked and put her hands to her eyes. When she removed them, a pair of black and red contacts rested between her thumb and forefingers. She put them in one hand and pulled plastic capsules from her fur, just under her eyes. She grinned. "You guys are so gullible." " " smirked and pulled the same objects from his eyes. "Honestly. An .exe wouldn't call another " ." They would say her whole name."

Sonic sat down and twitched. "Wh-Wha-?" He took a shuddering breath. "What the hell was th-that?" Rouge snapped. Arctic smirked, wiping the "blood" from under her eyes. "_That_ was payback being a bitch." She rubbed where her arm had been to reveal that it was fake blood. She slid her arm out of the dress and through the strap, a smirk plastered to her face.

She grinned and walked over to Tails body and head. She knelt to pick up the head and shuddered. "This... Is horribly realistic." She held it under the cheeks and blinked at it before setting it gingerly to the side. She poked the orange fox's belly. "You can get up now." Tails' body sat up and Arctic grabbed something on its neck: A zipper. She pulled it down, revealing the real Tails.

He slid out and the skin slid to the ground, revealing a pair of very short stilts. Sonic's eye twitched. "T-Tails? You're not dead? And you were involved in scarring us for life?" Tails nodded sheepishly. "I was blackmailed." Arctic grinned. "Guilty!" She pulled a piece of paper from her tail, along with a lighter, and lit the paper on fire. Tails sighed in relief as the last ashes disintigrated.

"Sorry, Sonic." the orange kitsune said. "But if that picture was shown to someone, I would be a laughing stock. And screwed, but mostly a laughing stock." Arctic grinned. "Yeeeah. Anyway, you guys just got trolled, suck it, let's pretend nothing happened." Sonic's eye twitched and he stopped rocking back and forth. "What the hell _did_ happen?!" he demanded.

Arctic and Shadow exchanged a glance and grinned. "Weeeell..."

Sunday, January 3, 2043, 12:01 a.m. Mobius time

Flashback

The Forest

"Shadow, put that thing down!" Arctic snapped. After she had said "today is a good day to die," Shadow had pulled out a gun and pointed it at his head. She grabbed it from him before he could do something stupid and he started laughing. "Gotcha!" he shouted.

Arctic dragged Shadow to the park. She proudly showed him a trail of blood in the snow. Shadow blinked. "Is that...?" Arctic looked at him. "Real? No. That is, though." She pointed to a trampled part of snow. Blood soaked it. Shadow stared and Arctic explained, "It took a little bit. But it felt _awesome_ on my wound." She grinned at Shadow's eye twitch.

"Anyway," she continued, "Come here..." she pulled out a box and leaned closer to him. He blinked as she pulled two small, red, pill-like things and broke off the top. She slid them into his fur, just under his eyes. He blinked as she poked them, causing the liquid inside to spill down his face. "Don't blink for a sec." Arctic warned as she pulled a new box out.

She put something into his eyes and he blinked quickly, eyes stinging. Oddly enough, everything in his vision was tinted red. Arctic slid a pair of capsules under her own eyes. She pulled out a small compact and opened it. She turned it to Shadow. He looked at the mirror inside and blinked. What looked like red tears spilled down his face, and his eyes had red pupils while the rest was black.

"I look like but with different coloring and quill style." he said disgustedly. Arctic grinned. "That's the point." She pulled a knife from her boot and cut holes in the dress. She pulled out another capsule and broke off the top, then made it look like she was cut up. She pulled her arm into her dress and pressed it against her side, then squeezed the rest of the capsule's contents onto her shoulder.

After she rubbed it in, she grinned and held out her free arm in a "ta-da!" motion. "You bitch, you ripped my arm off!" she joked. "He _what?!_" It was Tails. His voice caused both Arctic and Shadow to jump and spin around. The orange kitsune caught sight of Shadow's face and trembled. "E-E-E-!" he struggled to say "exe," but he was trembling. He turned to flee, but Arctic tackled him.

"Tails! Calm the fuck down! It's just Shadow!" she hissed when he opened his mouth to scream. She rolled him onto his back and clamped her hand over his muzzle, making it impossible for his to scream. "If I let you go, will you yell?" Arctic asked. Tails blinked, then shook his head. "Will you run away?" Another head shake. Arctic released the other fox and stood.

"Good. Because you're going to help us get back at the others for making Shadow and me go on a date. That was very awkward." Shadow nodded solemnly. "It was very much so. Neither of us can dance." Tails blinked. Arctic said, "And if you say no, I will hack into every system connected to the internet and have a popup of _this_." She held up a photo and Tails' eyes widened.

"That is unnecessary! I'll help." Arctic grinned and pulled a Tails Doll costume out of her little bag that maintained its place on her hip. Shadow blinked. "What exactly do you _keep_ in that bitch?" Arctic grinned. "Do you really want to know?" Shadow thought for a second, then shook his head. Arctic cut off the dangling red gem on the Tails Doll's forehead, then handed in to Tails with a pair of small stilts.

"Put those on and then put the costume on." Tails blinked, but didn't argue. Before he put on the mask, Arctic pulled up the costume and zipped it, leaving Tails' head under the neck. Arctic stuffed the head with cloth, then put several capsules in the neck before putting the mask on. The costume looked just like Tails, but a little taller.

"I didn't feel like buying a Tails Doll costume, mainly because they were twenty bucks more expensive. So I got a Tails one instead and sewed a fake gem on it. Easy." Shadow shook his head, liquid from the capsule staining his tan cheeks. "You are crazy." he said, grinning. Arctic gave him a smirk and Tails crossed his arms. "So what am I doing?"

Arctic blinked. "It's kinda creepy to see you talk without moving your mouth. Anyway, you're going to run out, say a few things, and then Shadow's going to rip your head off." Tails' arms fell to his sides and Arctic could practically see his jaw dropping and his eyes widening. "Not really, dumbass." Shadow snapped. "For a genius, you sure are clueless." He turned. "Right?" he asked, slightly nervous.

Arctic grinned. "Of course. Shadow is going to grab the neck of the costume, then rip the head off. Make sure to squeeze _as soon as you do it_. Then Tails will fall backwards and pretend to be dead while we keep going." Arctic pulled out a bracelet that looked an awful lot like one of Shadow's inhibitor rings. "Press the button here and extend your hand towards me."

She pulled out yet another small box and pulled out a pair of contacts. She put them into her eyes and blinked. "These react to the light that bracelet will give off. They'll turn the same color as yours. Then we proceed to scare the shit out of them." Shadow grinned. "Nice." Arctic said, "Tails, we're going to put you where you need to be. When you here Shadow say, "Let's play hide-and-seek, I'm it," run..."

She paused. "Twelve paces forward. Then Shadow will "kill" you." Tails nodded, but it looked more like he was bowing. Arctic grinned. "Shadow, make it realistic. Say things that .exe would say, like, "I am God" and stuff like that." Shadow nodded. "Let's do it!" Arctic grinned and grabbed Tails' arm. She guided him where she wanted him and said, "Twelve paces. Remember that."

Then she walked over to the pile of bloody snow. She paused and make a few scuff marks in the white part of the powder. "Shadow, get right there in that tree. When the others get here, jump down to this spot as soon as Sonic says something about you being crazy like we know he will." Shadow nodded and obeyed, then Arctic lay down in the snow, "missing arm" hidden. Shadow snickered. "This is going to be awesome. Normally I'm not one for practical jokes, but this'll be grand."

"Karma's a bitch alright. Shh! They're coming!"

Sunday, January 3, 2043, 12:23 a.m. Mobius time

Flashback End

The Park

Sonic, Rouge, Amy, Silver, and Blaze (who had woken up just after the story started) gaped at Shadow, Arctic, and Tails. The first two were laughing while the third grinned sheepishly. Arctic smacked Shadow on the back. "To be honest, I didn't know if this guy would go through with it!" she giggled. Shadow rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right! I never miss a shot at revenge!"

Arctic rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know." She yawned, then stretched, wincing slightly as the small hole in her shoulder started scolding her. "I don't know about all of you, but I could sleep until next New Years. No joke." Everyone else noticed how tired they were as well, everyone having not slept for two days. Shadow blinked. "Well, I'm out then."

Arctic blinked. "Where are you going?" Shadow shrugged. "It's kinda crowded at Tails' so I found a different place to crash. Later." Arctic stared after the black hedgehog, then shook her head. "He is an idiot."

Okay, so i am satisfied with that chapter. pretty long. **shadow:** muahahahahaha! finally, i get to make peoples lives miserable! **me:** shadow...you are just... get out. **shadow:** huh? **me:** i said get the fuck out. go. get. if youre nice you can come back next chapter. *slams door* **shadow:** ... 00 ...whatd i do? *cricket, cricket* i get the feeling she was mad at me before i said that...


	9. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8:

SHADOW! IM GOING TO KILL YOU! **shadow:** what the hell did i do?! **me:** you freaking poured kool-aid on my white shirt! **shadow:** i did no such thing! **me:** it was in a locked closet with no entry in or out and it had a metal door with 2895 locks. the only way in or out is to know every password and pass every id (fingerprinting, retinal scan, etc.) or chaos control. YOU are the only one i know who uses chaos control regularly. **shadow:** ;OO er... um... ermm... WASNT ME! *flees* **me:** SHADOW! GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE! REFERENCING THAT SONG DOES NOT GIVE YOU A FREE PASS EVEN IF I LIKE IT! *runs after shadow* **darius:** well i guess ill just- **sonic: ***shoves darius out of camera view* arctic does not claim me, shadow, or any other recognizable characters! we belong to sega! she only owns herself, nico, darius, tris, and shyra as well as the plot/storyline or whatever! yes! i finally got to _do_ something! **me and shadow:** *stares at with half-closed eyes* idiot.

Saturday, January 1, 2043, 1:12 a.m. Mobius time

The Forest

Arctic stumbled a bit as she and Shadow materialized. "Ax!" she shouted, darting towards the hollow tree. She pulled back the blanket in front of the hole to reveal the little green-striped fox sitting up, rubbing one eye and yawning. "Arctic? What's wrong?" The silver and white fox grabbed the fox and pulled him into a tight hug. Shadow's ears twitched as the voice from earlier hissed in displeasure.

"_You arrived in time to save the little rat _this_ time, but as soon as you turn your back on him..._" There was the snapping sound of teeth clacking together as a threat. Shadow muttered under his breath, "As long as Ark and me are around, you'll never touch him." The voice rasped, "_But _why_ are you protecting the little one? What would it matter to you if he just..._"

It trailed off, and Shadow knew what it was implying. Why would he care if it killed Axle? He blinked. Why _would_ he care? The kid wasn't anything to _him._ It was- He cut off that thought, but if the voice had eyes, he was sure they would be widening. "_Oooh. I see now... You-_" Shadow shut the voice out and looked at Arctic. She finally released Axle and turned to him.

"That thing, whatever it was, we beat it here." Shadow nodded. Axle looked like Sonic did after Amy finds him. "What's wrong guys?" he muttered, rubbing his eyes. "What's happened?" Arctic sighed, a cross between relief and exhaustion. "Staying up all night's made us hear things. Sorry we woke you. But..." She hesitated. "Just... Be _careful_, okay?"

Axle blinked. "Okay Arctic. I will. Don't worry about me." He gave Arctic a hug and went back into the tree, fur flattening. He curled into a ball as Arctic put the blanket back into place, making the tree look like a regular tree once more. Shadow put a hand on her arm. "Let's go." She nodded. "Let's." Shadow pulled out his emerald and looked at the tree. He was _wrong_. Axle was something to him.

Axle was his kid brother, and he wouldn't fail to protect him like he'd failed Maria.

"Chaos Control."

Saturday, January 1, 2043, 2:22 a.m. Mobius time

Amy Rose's House

Amy rounded the corner and glared pointedly at them, or more specifically, Arctic. Arctic giggled, then said, "Don't you have a question for me?" Shadow blinked. "Huh?" Arctic raised an eyebrow as Sonic walked in and sat down. Shadow blinked. "Oh. The dare. Amy told you to do this, didn't she?" Arctic grinned and nodded, sniggering.

"She said, and I quote, that, "And he better hurry it up or I'll shove my hammer so far up his ass that he'll need about thirty-two surgeries twenty-four/seven at _least._" She must really want to see this." Shadow's eye twitched. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Arctic snickered. "It's making you uncomfortable, so yes." Shadow sighed and dragged his hand down his face, then he used the same approach Sonic had.

"Hey Arctic, you wanna go on a date?" He purposefully left out the last part Sonic had used. He never thought he would quote the faker for something like this. Hell, he never thought he would quote the faker period. Arctic stared at him for a moment. She blinked once. Without any warning whatsoever, she snapped, "No!" Shadow blinked. "Um..."

Arctic's eyes flashed, but then she burst into laughter. "I'm just kidding, you ridiculous hedgehog. Yes, I'll go. But next time, be more original." Shadow blinked. "Um..." Arctic rolled her eyes. Shadow blinked. "Um..." Arctic raised an eyebrow. "Amy! I broke Shadow!" she called in a tattle-tale voice. Amy walked in. Shadow blinked. "Um..." Arctic sighed. "That's the only thing he'll do."

Amy snapped her fingers. "Wait a sec." She walked out, then returned with a steaming pot. She handed it to Arctic and she saw that it was filled with hot water. "Pour that on him." Arctic blinked and shrugged. "Okay, then." She stood on the couch and poured the water on top of the black hedgehog. Shadow hunched, mouth dropping open, and gasped.

"_**ARK!**_" he shouted. Arctic hid the pot behind her. "Ye-es?" she asked, drawing out the "e". Shadow glared at her. "What's behind your back?" he demanded. Arctic shoved the pot into her tail fur and held out her hands. "Nothing."

"Turn around." Arctic obliged, giggling. "If you want to look at my ass all you have to do is say so so that I can tell you no." Shadow turned away. "Sick-o." Arctic grinned and turned back to him. "See you at six?" she said, walking into the kitchen and giving the pot to Amy before moving towards the door. Shadow blinked. "Er-Yeah, see you..."

Amy walked in as Silaya walked out. "Someone's not getting any tonight." Shadow's eye twitched. "Um... I wouldn't _want_ to. That's the thing." Amy rolled her eyes and Shadow's jaw hit the ground at what she said next.

"I'll believe that when hedgehogs fly."

Saturday, January 1, 2043, 7:42 a.m. Mobius time

The City

Arctic flew above the city, admiring the glow of lights. She grinned as she saw the first rosy tinges of dawn and hovered in place. She watched as the sun rose, entranced. The sky gradually began to change colors. She pulled her hair over her shoulder, rebraiding it. She felt the sun touch her as she replaced the onyx dragon pendant and looked up and around. There was nothing to do here, and her tails were tired.

She landed just inside the city. She would go to the mall and do some window shopping. Satisfied that she had something to do she started walking. A rustling behind her told her that something was not-so-subtly following her. She smirked, but didn't turn. She waited until the footsteps were right behind her. She turned around quickly. "Hey Shadow!" she said cheerfully.

The black hedgehog leaped into the air. "Shit! How the hell do you do that?!" "What? Know that you're following me?" she teased. However, Shadow shook his head. "No. Make me laugh, almost scare the shit out of me, those kinds of things." He stared at her, looking bewildered. She blinked. "Are you-" She started laughing, a smirk showing up on her face.

"Oh, _I_ get it! You're yanking my chain, aren't you. I'm sure Sonic and the others do that all the time." She turned and started walking, but he grabbed her arm. "Actually, I'm not. I am totally and completely confused as to how you do it. Normally I'm the serious badass that people have trouble getting to talk outside of battle planning. The most I normally do is smirk."

Arctic stared at him, then winked. "What can I say? I'm too sexy for my cat. I have that effect on people." She winked again and started walking as Shadow facepalmed and dragged his hand over his face. "Why did I have to get stuck with the fox who doesn't care what anybody says?" he muttered. Arctic, though she heard him, kept walking. Shadow sighed and followed, muttering quietly, "Stupid ten missing years..."

Arctic flashed a grin at him. "Hiya stranger. Haven't seen you here before. Oh, wait, yeah I did, you've been following me." Shadow rolled his eyes. "Frikin school girls." he muttered under his breath. Arctic shot him a sharp glare that would put a knife to shame. "What was that, Shadow the Hedgehog?" Shadow blinked. "N-Nothing!" he said, trying his best to look innocent.

Arctic rolled her eyes and opened her mouth, but then just stared as Shadow randomly started spasming as electricity coursed through him. She blinked and looked around. She looked at the twitching black hedgehog and blinked again. "What the hell?" she said finally, incredulous. Shadow managed to get to one knee and pulled aside the fur on his neck to reveal a kind of collar.

"Shock collar, specially made. Amy wanted to make sure I did Faker's dare." Arctic's eye twitched. "So does that mean we _actually_ have to act like a couple or else you get electricuted with like three hundred volts?"

"Two hundred seventy-five, actually, but close enough." Shadow replied as he stood up, panting. Arctic blinked. "Wow. Glad she didn't get to me." Shadow glared at her. "Lucky ass." he muttered. A warning jolt went through him and he grumbled. Arctic giggled in a way that made him uncomfortable. It wasn't neccessarily always a bad thing, but he had learned this giggle. She was going to be her usual mischievous self.

"Okay then." she said coyly. "I suppose we'll just have to give Amy what she wants." She winked and whispered, "And a little more than she bargained for." Shadow grinned. So _that's_ what she was planning. He sighed dramatically. "All right." he muttered. He smirked and held out his arm like he'd seen guys in restaurants do. "Shall we, my dear?" he choked slightly on the last word.

Arctic giggled and said, "We shall." She took his arm and they started walking. Shadow's eye twitched slightly at the feel of affection, but he managed to keep going without throwing up. _So... fluffy..._ he thought, mentally rocking back and forth. He fought down his revulsion about the idea of actually enjoying this and focused on putting one foot in front of the other.

Arctic murmured, "If it helps, just imagine that Sonic told you that if you don't do this, you're more of a wuss than he is." The very idea made Shadow's eye twitch. Or maybe the shock collar went off again. Dunno. Arctic grinned. It worked. She looked at a store's window and stared. There was a costume group that had the Tails doll-which she found creepy as hell, but cute in a weird way at the same time-Sonic the Werehog, and several other creepy versions of the Sonic gang.

She spluttered with laughter when she saw the one in the middle. A cheap costume of Shadow, where you could clearly see where the red had been stitched, had a string with fangs attatched to it. It also included a cheap cape with a red gem to hold it together. Shadow looked over and his eyes widened in horror. "What does the fucking public _see_ me as nowadays?!"

Arctic pulled out her iPhone and typed a few things. Her eye twitched. "Apparently, this." A picture of Shadow was on the screen, but his quills were spiked like Silver's, and he had a twelve pack. Shadow looked at his stomach, then back at the picture. "Um... That is disgusting." Arctic nodded. "It looks like your organs are trying to escape. Besides, there is a distinct difference between an atheletes body and a benched body."

Shadow cocked his head. "How they got their bodies?" Arctic grinned. "No. One tries to hard, where as the other looks good without attempting anything. The latter is fit because he moves. And then there's-" she broke off, staring at the phone in horror. Shadow blinked. What had caused such a strong reaction? Her mouth was wide open and her eye was twitching. Her ears were completely flat against her head.

Shadow peered over her shoulder, but she covered his veiw. "No, Shadow. Don't. You'll be mentally scarred for life." Shadow was curious now. "Come on. I won't flip out." Arctic hesitated, then blinked at him worriedly. "Your funeral." She held up the phone and cringed.

(_**WARNING! SCARY IMAGE AHEAD! IF YOU ARE FAINT OF HEART, DO NOT LIKE BOYxBOY STUFF, OR JUST HAVE A WEAK BELLY, DO. NOT. READ. THE. ITALICS! i saw the following pic on the internet and almost had a panic attack. i dont have a prob w/ bxb or gxg but eh... i just feel a little awkward when people make characters that would more like than not not do that.**_)

_ A picture of Shadow crawling over Sonic was on the screen. Their "frontal areas" were close, and their faces were just a little farther away. Shadow's legs were between Sonic's, and they both were looking at each other lovingly and/or seductively._

The real Shadow's eye twitched and he fell over backwards. Arctic leaned over so that she could see his face. His eyes were closed, as he was unconscious, but his face was a mask of horror. Arctic yelped and knelt next to him. "Shadow?" she asked, poking his cheek. "Shadow? Are you alright?" She did it again. "Shads?" She blinked. "Uh-oooh." An officer walked up to her. "What's going on her missy?" he demanded.

Arctic raised an eyebrow and said one word: "Sonadow." The officers eyes widened in horror. "Oh. Oh, Chaos. Oh-aw that is... Ugh! I'm leaving." He did. Arctic put an ear to Shadow's chest and was relieved to find his heart beating. "Phew..." She thought for a moment, then grunted and slung him over her shoulders in the fireman's carry. He twitched, but otherwise didn't move.

Silaya patted his side. "Hang on, buddy, this is going to be a bumpy flight." She couldn't carry him all the way to Tails' house, so she instead landed on the roof of the mall. She set him down and groaned. "Dammit, Shadow, why today? You just _had_ to pass out on the day I didn't eat breakfast." She thought for a moment, then took a sticky note pad out of her vest, along with a pencil.

She scribbled something down, stuck it to the hedgehog's forehead, and flew down to the ground, headed for the mall. Five minutes later, Shadow groaned as he started to wake up. He felt something on his forehead and sntched it. He looked at it and raised an eyebrow. "Since your dick-ass had to pass out on me the one day I eat nothing, I went to get food. _Stay!_" Shadow shook his head. "Like I'm some common-" he broke off as the collar zapped him.

"Common what?" Arctic had come back. She had a pizza box bigger than her in one hand, and an order of chili dogs in the other. She handed the latter to him and sat on her tails as she opened the pizza box. She pulled out a pizza that had bacon and eggs, along with gooey cheese. Shadow raised an eyebrow and looked at the chili dogs. Arctic huffed. "Don't tell me you don't like that shit?"

"No, no, it's fine, just... Why?" Shadow asked. Silaya raised an eyebrow. "What do you expect. I'm not going to get myself something and not get you anything. I don't swing that way. When our group of rebels, and I mean the large group of thirty-something, mind you, not the feeble shell of an organization we had until recently, was around, if there wasn't enough to go around, everyone else came first. The weaker ate before the stronger."

Shadow blinked. "Huh." Arctic's eyes twinkled. "But, now that there isn't a large group, and now that we don't have to feed everyone before they die, I can buy big ass pizzas for myself if I want." She picked up a piece and shoved it into her mouth. Shadow stared. That one piece was about from her wrist to her elbow. Her cheeks looked like a squirrel and a chipmunk had gotten together and had a fox baby.

Arctic winked as she swallowed. "Liking the veiw, Shaddy-boy?" Shadow gave her a look that said, "are you fucking retarded?" He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Shaddy...boy." he said slowly. "What the hell... Kind of... You know what? Fuck it." Arctic smirked. "Eat your dogs before they get cold." she scolded. Shadow rolled his eyes at her. "Okay, Mom."

She stared at him, shocked. He blinked. "What? Did I say something odd?" She shook her head. "No, it's just... You just made a joke. Without being prompted. And it was old, but _funny_." Shadow's eyes widened as she grinned. "What the hell have you done to me, Woman?!" She raised an eyebrow. "Okay then, Vegeta. Anyway, despite the physical impossibilties of me being your mother, seeing as how you are like fifty years older than me, that was a good one."

Shadow sighed, and while his mouth was open, Arctic shoved a chili dog in his mouth. She giggled as he slapped a hand to his mouth to keep it from falling back out. "Eat before it gets cold, I said." she chided. Shadow rolled his eyes as he chewed and she shoved another piece of pizza into her mouth. He swallowed and muttered, "Chaos save me from girls who don't get the fact that I don't need to eat regul-"

A loud growling interrupted him. Arctic raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I'm guessing your stomach disagrees with you. That's how it looks anyways." Shadow cursed his stomach for its terrible timing and sighed, picking up a chili dog. Arctic beamed at him and picked up another piece of pizza. She took it more slowly on this one. Shadow leaned over and burst into laughter when he saw the pizza box.

There was about four pieces left. If that. Arctic grinned. "What can I say, when I get the chance, I eat a _lot_. I just don't want to challenge Darius. The last time I beat him in an eating comp he moped for a month and wouldn't talk to me, and then he kept challenging me to rematches! He lost all of them until I let him win. Whoops." She grinned. "Shh..."

Shadow shrugged. "Secret's safe." He felt a slight bit of electricity, but ignored it. Out of nowhere, a frying pan smacked him on the back of the head. He fell over, revealing a short-haired human brunette girl with green eyes. A man, also with brown hair, but brown eyes, stood behind her. Arctic blinked. "What..." She glared at the girl. "You killed Shadow you bitch!" she screeched. The girl's eyes widened.

The man behind her shook his head and arms frantically. "No, no! He's not dead! She's done that to me before, don't worry! He's just unconscious." Arctic glared. "And was there a specific reason you just clonked my friend?" Her eyes narrowed. "You have ten seconds to come up with a legit answer. If I don't like it, I will Chaos Blast you into oblivion. I may not be as good as Shadow at that, but I'm still a badass."

She pulled the green Chaos emerald out of Shadow's quills and glared. "Ten..." The man waved his arms. "Wait, wait, wait! I can explain. We were kind of teleported here by an evil witch who wanted revenge on my wife here so she sent us here so that Rapunzel couldn't claim her throne." Arctic stared at him through half-closed eyes. "You were sent here."

"Yes."

"By a witch."

"Yes."

"Who wanted your wife's throne."

"Yes."

"And your wife... Is Repunzel."

"Yes, that's pretty much the gist of it."

Arctic sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "That doesn't explain why _you smacked Shadow upside the head with a fucking frying pan!_" Both the man and Repunzel fliched. The man opened one eye. "Erm... Maybe we got off on the wrong foot." He held up his hands and grinned. "My name is Flynn Rider-" Repunzel glared. "-I mean Eugene, and this is my wife Repunzel. We got sucked into a vortex by an evil witch and we need help going back so please help us?"

Arctic facepalmed. Eugene suddenly looked around. "Wait a minute why is everyone here a human-animal mix?" Arctic raised an eyebrow. "We're Mobians. You are on a planet known as Mobius. The people who live on Mobius, the Mobians, are anthropomorphic creatures. If you have a problem with it, I will take my katana-" she drew the blade, which no one had noticed her pull out.

"-and shove it so far up your ass that when you try to pull it out, you had better be that bitch off of _The Sword and the Stone_. Otherwise, the only person ripping this bitch out is me. And I'll tell you to keep it, I'll get a new one." Eugene's eye twitched. "Eeeeehhh..." was the only sound he made. He finally squeaked, "Nope, no problems, who has a problem, you, I sure don't."

Repunzel shook her head and Arctic sheathed her katana. "Good. Now why the hell did you smack my boyfriend with a frying pan?" Repunzel blinked. "A black and red anthro-whatever hedgehog is your boyfriend?" Arctic glared. "He is a boy, and he is my friend. Hence the term. But for today, thanks to an awkward game of truth or dare, yes, he is. Do I need to threaten you with my bow?"

She pulled out the weapon and notched an arrow in two seconds flat. The two humans' eyes widened. "Did she have that a second ago?" whispered Eugene, a slight squeak to his voice. Repunzel shook her head. Arctic growled, "Now, I will ask _one more time._ Why in the _hell_ did you _smack Shadow the fucking Hedgehog_ upside the _head_ with a _frying pan?!_"

Repunzel cowered behind Eugene, who said, "It wasn't me!" Arctic blinked at the reference. Judging from the clothes that looked like they were for royalty, these two clearly came from midieval areas. She growled.

"I'm going to say this_ once._ Eh-hem. Listen here you little bitch! Get the fuck out of here and leave us alone or I will rip your face off and shove it-" Shadow slapped a hand over her face. There was muffled yelling, and when he released her, she finished, "-shove you into the fiery depths of hell!" Shadow's eye twitched. "Are you _crazy!?_" She glared. "I always have been!" She slapped him. "What made you thing I was sane?!"

She blinked. "Wait a sec. Weren't you just unconscious?"

Shadow shot up as cold water drenched him. Sonic stood over him as he sat on the couch. Sonic tossed a bucket to the side. "Good. You're awake." Shadow looked at the T.V., where the title screen for _Tangled_ was on. He looked up at Sonic. "I am never watching a Disney movie again." Sonic rolled his eyes. "Thank Chaos. I thought you'd never end your obsession."

His eyes sparked. "Now we can get on to more important things." He shoved Shadow to the couch and the black hedgehog screamed, knowing what was going through the blue blur's head.

A sudden jolt quickly woke him up, and he sat up, shocked. Quite literally, too. Arctic leaned over him, electricity dancing over her black-leather-gloved hands. The sparks fizzled out and she sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. I thought you were dead." Shadow blinked, hyperventilating. "What the hell happened to me?!" he wheezed, grabbing her shoulders tightly.

Arctic winced. "We were sitting on here, eating, and a giant metal frisbee clonked you upside the head. You passed out, but the collar shocked you. For the first few hours you were okay, but then your stopped heart for a little while." Shadow shivered and looked around. They were still on top of the mall, but now snow was starting to fall and it was starting to get dark. "What time is it?" he asked, breathing slowing a little.

Arctic looked at her wrist. "Four-forty-five p.m. Why?" Shadow blinked. "I've been unconscious all day from a collar and a frisbee?" Arctic shrugged. "It was livewire if it makes you feel better. My fur stood up just being near it." A loud voice suddenly screamed, "_**SOOOONIIIIC!**_" For once, it wasn't Amy, as the voice shouted, "_**I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!**_" Arctic blinked. "Tails?" she said, confused.

Shadow got to his feet with Arctic's help. Tails flew past them, looking for something. He saw them and stopped. "Have you seen Sonic or a metal disk?" Arctic blinked. "You mean the one that just zapped the living shit out of Shadow?" Tails groaned. "I _told_ Sonic not to mess with it! I _told_ him it was live! But he _didn't listen!_" Arctic raised an eyebrow and held up the disc. "This?"

Tails landed and grabbed it. "Yeah! Thanks!" He glared. "Now to kill Sonic." He flew off and Arctic's eye twitched. "Wow. That is completely out of character." Eye twitching, Shadow nodded. "Uh-huh." Arctic scratched her neck. "We should probably go and get ready." Shadow blinked. "For what?" Arctic gave him a look. "Oh." he said. "The date thing. Got it."

Arctic rolled her eyes and pulled the Chaos emerald out of his quills. "Hey!" he protested. Arctic grinned. "Look what I can do." she teased. "Look, I'm Shadow!" She held the emerald out in an extremely Shadow-like manner and said, "Chaos Control!" Something bothered Shadow for a heartbeat, just as she disappeared, a stunned look on her face. No flashing lights, nothing. Just... Gone. Shadow blinked, then rubbed his eyes.

When he opened them, there was still no Arctic. "What the fuuuuuck...?" he said, utterly stunned. Without warning, he fell to his face in the snow. Laughing sounded behind him. "Got you!" Silaya's voice giggled. Shadow looked up, then kept going up until he could see Arctic. "How the hell...?" Arctic beamed. "I grabbed the Chaos emerald, and while you were distracted by the fact that I screwed up one of your quills, I moved behind you."

"My qui-Hey!" Shadow said, just noticing that she had indeed misplaced his quill. While he fixed it, she explained, "It was a small enough change to distract you subconsciously, while I moved." Shadow blinked. "So _that's_ what that was. Huh. Gonna have to use that on the Faker." Arctic winked. "Still stealing my things, eh?" Shadow rolled his eyes. "Shut up."

The black hedgehog pushed himself up and shook the snow out of his fur/quills. Arctic smirked and handed him his emerald. "Chaos Control!" Nothing happened. He shook the emerald slightly and shouted again, "I said, _Chaos Control!_" Still nothing. Shadow raised an eyebrow and held out his hand to Arctic, who put the real Chaos emerald in it.

Shadow rolled his eyes as she took the fake emerald. "Chaos Control!"

Saturday, January 1, 2043, 5:45 p.m. Mobius time

Amy Rose's House

Arctic groaned. "Take it easy with the brush! You're not an ax murderer as far as I know!" Rouge paused in brushing her hair. "Well if you brushed it more often, we wouldn't have a knot problem." Amy rolled her eyes. "She wouldn't have a knot problem had someone not tried to put a really tight bun in it." Blaze nodded. "I'd have to agree with that."

Rouge glared at them. Cosmo sighed. "Why must you three always argue." She glared at Rouge and Amy. "Mainly _you_ two." Amy whistled innocently while Rouge went back to Arctic's hair. "Why do I have to be "prettyfied" anyway? I think I look okay, if I do say so myself. It's Shadow who needs help." Amy shrugged. "Oh, don't worry, the boys have got that."

Saturday, January 1, 2043, 5:54 a.m. Mobius time

Tails' House

Shadow snapped, "Watch it! You are _not_ messing with my quills!" Sonic backed up. Silver rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Sonic, even I knew that he wouldn't let us do his quills, Amy or no." Tails facepalmed. "Silver, have you ever heard of the term "worth a shot?" That would be Sonic's excuse." Darius walked in. "Hey guys, Amy called and said, and I quote, "Hurry your asses up before she shoves her Piko Piko hammer up them." In her words exactly."

The three hedgehog's eyes widened and Knuckles walking in. "I found that hair gel." He looked at Shadow. "Aaaand he didn't let you touch them. Damn." Shadow shrugged. His phone rang and he answered. "Hellooo?" he asked. "_**SHADOW GET YOUR ASSES INTO HIGH GEAR AND GET THE FUCK UP HERE BEFORE I COME DOWN THERE AND SHOVE ARCTIC'S BOW UP THEM!**_" Arctic's voice protested, "Hey! My bow may be a little less than invincible, but that doesn't mean that it can survive a guy's ass!"

Shadow heard a click, signaling that Amy had hung up. He shakily put the phone into his pocket and looked in the mirror. He wore a dark leather jacket along with a pair of jeans and a black muscle shirt. At first he had protested this, but Sonic insisted that girls loved a guy with a nice body that was willing to show off. And Shadow had still protested. In the end, Sonic had won by making Silver use telekinesis to put the shirt on.

Shadow sighed and ran a hand through his quills. _At least they're letting me keep my shoes._ he thought wryly. "Oh, I almost forgot. I forced-er... _asked_ Tails to make you new shoes!" Sonic said cheerfully. They looked just like his skates but pure black. Shadow sighed. They probably didn't have half the cool shit that his hover shoes had, but he put them on anyway.

A text from Amy caused everyone to look at their phones. It read, _You jackasses have thirty to get here starting at five fifty seven._ They looked at the time. It was five fifty-seven. They darted out of there, Silver using telekinesis to help Tails keep up. They arrived at Amy's in about ten seconds tops. Amy opened the door. "Nice of you to show up before six." she said drily.

They walked in and Silver immediately sat on the couch. Tails sat on the floor while Sonic hid inside his tails from Amy. Shadow folded his arms, sighing, while Darius leaned against the wall and looked at his watch. There was a sudden shout, causing all of the guys to leap up. "What the hell was _that,_ Rouge!? I like my fur how is- Ouch!" Arctic's shriek came from upstairs.

Shadow blinked. "What the fuck is Rouge doing? Cutting her tail off?" Tails glared. "Not funny." Sonic popped his head out and waved his hands, indicating that Shadow should shut up." Shadow blinked again. "Er-Sorry, Tails, bad choice of words." Tails blinked. Shadow was _apologizing_? What was this world coming to? The twin-tailed kit nodded.

Another screech from Arctic caused everyone to clap their hands over their ears. "Rouge! Don't _touch_ that! _Rouge!_ Back off the onyx!" Shadow blinked. "Onyx?" he said, raising an eyebrow. Amy rolled her eyes. "You know, the black dragon she keeps in her hair?" Shadow blinked. "Oh. Right." Rouge's voice came, "Stop being a baby. You're wearing your hair down and that's that."

Arctic grumbled something and the was a loud smack. "Rouge! Stop hitting me!" Rouge laughed, "Then don't say that." Arctic snapped, "I said nothing! I did no wrong!" Darius snorted. "Uh huh." Cosmo's voice said, "Stop arguing! Rouge, unecessary roughness! Here, let me do it." Arctic's voice said eagerly, "Yeah, let her do it! She'll be considerably more gentle."

A loud smack. "_**OW!**_" Arctic cried. "Rouge!" Blaze snapped, "Stop hitting her!" Cosmo sighed, "Move, I'll take care of this." There was the sound of scuffling, then Rouge literally came flying down the stairs, looking nervous. "Did you guys know that she could electrocute people? Anyone?" Everyone exchanged a glance and Shadow said, "I think it's those gloves. They also work as defibrillators."

Everyone stared at him and he said, "Long story." There was silence. Arctic had stopped complaining. Rouge landed and was holding her arms, shivering. She muttered something about "anger issues" and "bitch is crazy" before sitting next to Silver on the couch. Tail poked into his tail fur at Sonic. "Dude, stop that. You're making my tails itch. Flatten your quills or stop _moving!_"

Amy glared at the fur impeding her from going after "her Sonic" and huffed. Finally, Blaze came down. "Cosmo's almost done. They just need to get the dress on." There was loud laughter and everyone turned to see Shadow clutching his stomach. "Th-That tomboy is going to wear a _dress?!_ No wonder she tried to kill Rouge!" He continued to laugh.

Rouge pouted. "It's not _that_ bad-" she broke off and stared at the stairs. "I am _not_ doing that! This is not prom, and you guys are _not_ my parents!" Shyra and Tris appeared, Arctic between them, trying to get her to walk down the steps normally. "I'll walk how I want to walk!" Arctic snapped, hair free of it's normal braid. She whipped her head around to glare at Shyra.

"Let _go_ of me! I mean it! I refuse to- Gah!" She tripped over the hem of her dress. Tris and Shyra lost their grip and Silaya went rolling. Everyone blinked as she smacked into the wall at the bottom. Several coats fell on top of her. Shadow took a step towards her as she sat up, holding her head in one hand and shaking it. She was wearing her fingerless leather gloves.

A coat stayed on her head as the others fell off. The onyx dragon hung from a lock of her hair, right next to her face. The rest of her hair hung over her shoulders. Her silver dragon pendant around her neck was clearly visible, the blue gem that was its eye glinting. Her silvery-white braces remained in place, glowing slightly. She blinked and sprang to her feet, looking completely unruffled except for the coat on her head.

"Are you all right?" Shadow asked. She nodded. "I'm fine." She tossed the coat to the side, revealing the dress she wore. It was light gray and black. Gray was the main color, while the black snaked around her shoulder blades and chest like vines. It went to just above her knees on the right, barely brushed the ground on the left, and had one shoulder strap. She rolled her eyes and mouthed, _Rouge._

Shadow nodded sagely. "Well, as long as you're not hurt." he said, rolling his eyes. Shyra, at the top of the stair, fell over. "The hopeless romantic." she muttered. Rouge's ears twitched and she nodded at her opposite approvingly. The ebony and ivory bats exchanged a respectful nod. Tris rolled her eyes. Darius blinked. "Where's Nico?" he asked.

Everyone looked around them and shrugged. Nico's voice came, "I-I'm over here." Arctic pulled open the closet door to reveal Nico in a tighter dress than Arctic's, while his arms were tied together. "Nico!" Arctic gasped. She untied the ropes and he literally ripped off the dress, then glared at Shyra. "You rabies infested black rat!" he snapped. "Why the hell would you do that?!"

Arctic glared and put an arm around the cat. "It's all right, Nico." She added in a whisper, "You can embarrass her later." Nico paused, then nodded. "Fine." Arctic rolled her eyes and released him. "Now let's get this thing over with, Shadow." she muttered. Shadow raised an eyebrow, then nodded. Amy wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Try not to have _too_ much fun, you two."

Arctic rolled her eyes. "If we have _any_ fun. Chaos help us if _that_ happens." Everyone except her, Shadow, Nico, Blaze, and Darius fell over comically. Darius and Shadow echanged a glance, while Arctic rolled her eyes. Nico just sighed. "Idiots..." he muttered. Arctic huffed. "Let's just go." Everyone got up. Blaze rolled her eyes. "All right then. See you."

Rouge and Amy shoved Shadow and Silaya outside, into the snow. Arctic tripped and crashed into Shadow, sending the both tumbling into the snow, Arctic on the bottom. The fox tried to push the hedgehog off, but he was to heavy. The snow melted under her, soaking her fur. Her hair was scattered around her. "Ummm Shadow? You want to get up anytime soon?"

Shadow blinked. "Oh, shit! My bad!" He leaped to his feet and scratched the back of his head as Arctic pushed herself up. She brushed the snow of and wrung out her fur. "Brr!" she said, shivering. She grinned, then threw a snowball at him. "Where are we going anyway?" Shadow patted his pockets. "If I knew I'd tell you. Some kind of ballroom joint I guess."

Arctic sighed. "Joy..." She started walking. Shadow raised a brow. "Where're you going?" Arctic glanced back at him as she grinned. He blinked as she said, "I've only heard of one ballroom place since I got here." Shadow glanced at the paper he pulled from his pocket and saw that she was headed the right way. "Whatever." he muttered under his breath.

"This is going to end badly either way."

Saturday, January 2, 2043, 6:13 p.m. Mobius time

Ballroom Party

Arctic stared around. "They put a lot into this for such a short term thing." she said, refering to Sonic and the others. Shadow shrugged. "I blame Amy. She does whatever Faker asks." Arctic nodded. "Fair point." He shrugged and said, "Let's go, then." Arctic grabbed his arm, surprising him. She shrugged. "May as well give them what they want."

Shadow shrugged and they walked in. Arctic scanned the elaborate ballroom. "This is going to end badly." Shadow muttered. Arctic squeezed his arm slightly and nodded, as though he had said something she agreed with, and he followed her gaze with his eyes. A pair of hedgehogs, one blue, one silver, were in the far corner of the room. They almost blended in with the painting behind them.

Shadow flicked his gaze around the room, Arctic doing the same. "Blaze is under the balcony, along with Amy and Rouge. They actually bothered to disguise themselves." Shadow muttered. Blaze was wearing a purple cowl along with a purple dress that covered everything except her hands and above her neck. Amy wore the same except red.

Rouge was wearing a strapless black dress with a pinkish purple heart-shape, using her wings like a shawl. She had her hair/head fur pulled into a ponytail with some covering her eye. Arctic blinked. "Pretty decent disguises, besides the colors. But what really gave them away is that they tried so hard. Besides Rouge I guess." Shadow grinned. "We're gonna have to give em a show, then, eh?"

Arctic laughed quietly and nodded. "Let's." She looped her arm through his and leaned against him. His eye twitched indiscernably. _So... Much... Fuzzy...!_ his badass half rasped, trying to drag itself away. _Get over yourself, it's just an act._ chided his uncaring part. _Ssssh! We don't know that-_ Shadow cut off his brain for a second before his side that held his thoughtful, OMG-what-if-this-could-happen emotions could completely return to life.

"Die, bitch." he muttered quietly. Arctic looked up at him. "If you want me dead, kill me. And for the record, I am not a bitch. Do I look like a bitch to you? Huh? I am not a dog." Shadow shook his head. "No, Ark, not you." Arctic blinked, looking at him then looking away quickly multiple times. "O-Okay then...?" she said, clearly confused.

Shadow shrugged apologetically. "Talking to myself." Arctic's eye twitched and she pulled away from him. "O-Oh... Oh Chaos... Sonic was right! You are a suicidal emo! Oh, Chaos, Shadow! Don't fucking do it bro, we'll work through this, we'll-" Shadow clapped a hand over her mouth. "Ark! No! Wait, Sonic said I was a suicidal emo?" Arctic nodded, Shadow's hand relieving her of speech.

Shadow removed his hand and crossed his arms. "That bitch and I are going to have words." Arctic cocked her head. "So you _aren't_ going to kill yourself?" Shadow rolled his eyes and shook his head. Arctic blinked. "Wow. This is more awkward than the dream we all had at the same time. It's always kinda awkward when people have the same dreams cuz then you know what they dream about."

"Wait a sec... That dream... Did you _really_ just _kiss_ me at the end?" Arctic winked. "That never happened, remember?" Shadow facepalmed. "What the fucking hell..." he sighed. "You just love knocking me off balance, don't you?" A twinkle in her eye told him he was right. "Maybe. The thing is, it's fun. Mainly because I know that no one else could throw you off like I can."

Shadow huffed and said, "Darius and Knuckles are over by the punchbowl. They look like they'd rather be anywhere else. They're probably going to bail any time now." Sure enough, the two echidnas slunk off as soon as Amy's back was turned. A light bulb went off above Arctic's head. Shadow poked it and it disappeared in a puff of white smoke.

"I have an idea!" Arctic said. "Later, before we leave, we get into a big "fight" and storm off. It'll be great. And then, when they follow us, we meet up in the park at midnight and give them hell." Shadow blinked. "That's a great idea. I should have thought of that. Try to add some waterworks, okay?" Arctic sighed and nodded. "Right. And fake or not, try not to really be mean."

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "No promises, but I'll be less mean than I would be. And ah... Make it realistic." Arctic smirked. "No other way to do it, Shads. The realistic way is the only way." Shadow blinked. What had he gotten himself into? "Hey Shadow?" Arctic asked. Shadow looked at her. "Ye-es?" Arctic blinked. "If I ask you one question, will you honestly answer me?"

Shadow sighed. "One." Arctic tipped her head to one side. "Have you actually ever considered going emo or suicidal?" Shadow's eyes widened. "Are you fucking insane?" he hissed. "No, you stupid psycho-bitch!" The silver fox's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What was that, Shadow the Hedgehog?" Shadow blinked in uneasiness at the way she said his name and he searched for a change in subject.

"Er-Your hair looks good out of a braid. I like it. It's nice." he said quickly. Arctic blinked. "Er-You do?" Shadow nodded slightly, realizing that it wasn't a lie. Her hair actually looked better down. "Er-Yeah. It actually looks kind of better. To me, anyway. I'm no girl or anything, so I wouldn't know what looks good to other girls, but I do kind of like it."

Arctic blinked again. "Well... Thanks, then." Shadow nodded and inwardly sighed in relief. He had just barely managed to keep his hide from becoming a cheap rug yet again. He sighed. There was still one problem.

He was still dead anyway.

Saturday, January 2, 2043, 11:46 p.m. Mobius time

Ballroom Party

"Great. Now we don't have to dance." Shadow said as his blue counterpart went into the bathroom. "We can just say we did." Arctic rolled her eyes. "Amy will tell Sonic and Sonic will never let you live it down how you were too much of a chicken to suck it up and dance." A vein twitched in Shadow's temple. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right.

He sighed. "I should have Chaos Controlled out of that party when I had the chance." Arctic yawned. "Yeah, then maybe we could actually be sleeping right now. I'm no Ultimate Lifeform. I need to sleep more than once every two days. Let's just get this done, fake argue, and get revenge so that we can sleep." Shadow blinked. She _did_ look tired. And it didn't help that she snuck out late at night to see Axle sometimes.

Shadow nodded. "Okay, then. I hope you know what you're doing." She smirked. "Oh, dear Shadow, I _always_ know what I'm doing." Shadow sighed. "Famous last words." Just then, the music slowed down and couples got together to dance. Arctic groaned. "Oh, the irony. It couldn't have been the Cupid Shuffle or something speedy, it _had_ to be a slow song." She sighed. "Let's go, Shadow."

Shadow complied reluctantly. They stood for a moment, then Shadow asked, "So... How do we do this?" Arctic blinked. "You don't know how to dance?" She sighed as Shadow shook his head. "We're screwed, because I don't either." She looked around. "Well then... Let's just copy them." She beckoned to the other Mobians in the room. Shadow blinked.

"I think that is one of the smartest things you've said since I met you." Arctic grinned slightly, hair falling into her eyes. Shadow remembered a movie he'd seen once and brushed it behind her ear. (**shadow:** dont ask! rouge made me! **me:** uh huh.) Arctic smirked. "Slow down there, lover boy." she whispered, eyes twinkling. Shadow rolled his eyes. "Shut up. Let's do this, I guess."

She shrugged and put a hand on his shoulder and took his in her other one. Shadow glanced at a couple a few feet away and put his free hand on her waist. They copied the motions everyone else was doing, and soon got the hang of it. "Well this would be fun if you'd stop stepping on my feet." Shadow blinked. "That guy keeps doing it." Arctic raised an eyebrow.

"Do you see anyone else doing it? He's probably a terrible dancer." Shadow made a "fair point" gesture with his head. Arctic grinned. "I've never seen you do that." Shadow blinked. "You haven't have you?" Arctic smirked. "I've never seen you drink hot chocolate or coffee either." Shadow blinked. "Hot chocolate? Who wants to drink hot chocolate? How would you even make that? Melt Hershey bars?"

Arctic blinked. "You don't even know what hot chocolate is?" Shadow tipped his head to the side and Arctic said, "It's pretty much warm chocolate milk." Shadow still looked confused and Arctic facepalmed. "Note to self: make you hot cocoa later." She replaced her hand on his shoulder and he asked, "I thought you said it was hot chocolate...?" Arctic sighed.

"It's to shorten it up. Most of the time people call it "a cup of cocoa" or "hot cocoa." It just depends on how lazy people are feeling." The song ended and they pulled away gratefully. "So how are we going to start an argument?" Shadow muttered. Arctic hissed, "I'll "accidentally trip" you. You pretend to fall and start yelling at me, and then we execute the rest of the plan."

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Execute? What are we, the-" he broke off as her foot came out just enough for him to trip. He purposely did so and fell forward. "Ouch!" Arctic winced. "Oh my Chaos, are you all right, Shadow?"

"What do you care? I would be fine, if your ass hadn't tripped me!" he snapped, wincing as he pushed himself up. Arctic looked at him, a hurt expression on her face. "Well sor-ry. It was an accident, jackass!" she snapped. Shadow growled. "A jackass, am I, you stupid bitch?" A growl rumbled deeply in Arctic's throat. It was slightly scary coming from her, and Shadow mentally slapped himself for being a baby.

"Yes, you are! I have tried to be nothing but nice to you since I got here, and all you're good at is being a dick!" Arctic crossed her arms and got into the black hedgehog's face. By now, Amy and the others had noticed they were arguing and were looking slightly nervous. Shadow snarled, "I was trying to get your fake self to stay away from me! That was me being nice about it, but I should have Chaos blasted you when I had the chance!"

Arctic flinched and for a second Shadow thought he had actually hurt her feelings, but there was an amused twinkle in her eyes, so he dismissed this idea. "Well then why didn't you? Were you to much of a _coward_ to hurt a girl?" Shadow rolled his eyes. "You're such a sensitive little bitch, aren't you? Then only reason I didn't turn you into a bloody spot was because you helped Tails, and I don't dismiss favors!"

Arctic's eyes narrowed. "Then do what you have to! Kill me right here, right now! Turn me into a "bloody spot," you suicidal, egotistical, emo mutt!" Shadow snarled angrily, though he fought the urge to snicker. "Are you sure I'm the suicidal one? You seem in a hurry to die, you stuck up, pussy little cocksucker." Her eyes widened. "_Excuse_ you?! In case you hadn't noticed, I don't "suck" anything! I'm a virgin, you dickhead!"

Shadow laughed. "I'll believe that when I learn to grow wings and fly! You probably left where you came from because everyone knew you whored around with every guy you met, so you came here so that no one would call you out!" Silaya growled and pulled out her katana. "You seem to have a quick tongue. I wonder how quick it'll be when I cut it off!"

Shadow pulled out his Chaos emerald and summoned a Chaos spear. "Not my real katana!" Arctic hissed. Shadow blinked at her to show he'd heard and snapped, "Maybe you should cut off your dick! If you're going to pretend to be a girl, look like one everywhere!" Arctic's eyes narrowed, amusement crackling in them like flames in a fire pit. "Looks like we have something in common! I don't have one!"

Shadow fought the urge to snigger. That had been a good one. Shadow pulled back his arm to give her some warning and threw the Chaos spear at her. She dove out of the way and came at him with her katana. He tossed another spear and she blocked it with the katana, which snapped. The blade flew to Shadow's feet and Arctic held the useless hilt in her hand.

She stared at it, looking stunned. "You... You bitch!" she shouted. She dropped the hilt and glared at Shadow as he picked up the blade. "I got that from my father!" She flew at him. Shadow reacted before he could think. He threw the blade. It sailed straight at Arctic, who looked too surprise to do anything. She barely ducked to the side, but not in time.

She screeched in pain as the blade buried itself in her shoulder. The Chaos spear that Shadow had started conjuring dissipated. Shadow stared in shock as Arctic gasped in pain. Face twisted in pain, she slid the blade out of her shoulder painfully. Blood coated it about to the middle. It had partially cut the strap of Arctic's dress. She hesitantly extended a hand to the wound and hissed as she touched it.

She looked up at Shadow, eyes wide. "Oh Chaos... Ark..." Shadow began. The fox shook her head and fled the building. Shadow took off after her, but she was gone as soon as he burst through the door. He shook his head. She had said that the katana was fake, hadn't she? "No... She didn't!" Shadow realized aloud. "She just said it wasn't her real one! Oh, fuck... I messed up!" He darted off in a random direction.

For a moment, he wondered if she'd go to the park. It was worth a shot, right? He shrugged helplessly and darted in that direction. He glared at the shoes that Tails had made as he cut through the forest and ran. "You suck." he told them. "Who sucks?" said a feminine voice. Shadow skidded to a halt looked around. He blinked, then leaped into the air as Arctic landed next to him.

"Here's a tip: Always look up. It's the last place everyone checks." She grinned and pointed up at the pine tree that hung above them. Shadow blinked. Why wasn't she yelling at him or something for actually hurting her? He glanced at her shoulder, where blood still welled up. She followed his gaze and waved a hand dismissively. "Pfft. Flesh wound."

She turned and started walking. "We'd better hurry. I left a trail going to the park." Shadow noticed blood was coming from the back of her shoulder too and he grabbed her good one. "_That_ is not a flesh wound. That damn blade went all the way through your fucking shoulder!" Arctic rolled her eyes. "I've had worse." Shadow raised and eyebrow and she grinned sheepishly. "Okay maybe not _that_ much worse."

She shrugged her good shoulder. "But I'm fine. Honest." Shadow sighed. "Ark. You just had a blade go straight through your shoulder. You are not _fine_." Arctic blinked, then her eyes lit up. "I see what this is about! You feel _guilty!_" Shadow cringed. "N-No!" Arctic grinned. "Come on, admit it! You feel guilty that you threw the katana blade at me!"

Shadow growled. "So what if I do? I'm only Mobian, after all..." Arctic walked around him, smirking. "You _do_ feel guilty! Only Mobian, my ass. Says the one who always boasts about being the "Ultimate Lifeform" and all! You're not immune to emotions, Mister Ultimate Lightbulb!" Shadow sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It was your fault anyway! You told me that the katana wasn't your real one-"

"So you figured that I meant a real blade?" Arctic interrupted. Shadow nodded mutinously. "Had I known it was real, I wouldn't have thrown it!" Arctic grinned. "I know." Shadow's eyes widened. "That's what you were going for." he said, stunned. Arctic nodded. "Of course. I mean, I didn't expect to get more or less stabbed, but of course. I knew you wouldn't do anything to or with it if you thought it was real."

Shadow facepalmed. "Well, fuck." he muttered. Arctic rolled her eyes. "Come on, then! We have a few Mobians to get back at." Shadow raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly are we doing for that?" Arctic grinned and showed her shoulder to him. Blood ran down her arm. "Just follow my lead, and we'll scare the hell out of them in the end." Shadow snickered. "They are _so_ going to kill us later." Arctic smirked.

"Today is a good day to die! Let's go. Wait a minute... Shadow, what are you doing with that? I wasn't serious! Shadow!"

Sunday, January 3, 2043, 12:15 a.m. Mobius time

The Park

Amy stared at the park with Sonic, Blaze, Silver, and Rouge, whom she had led along the trail of blood Arctic had probably left when she'd fled. Rouge huffed. "Why would she go to the park?" Silver blinked. "Clear her head, maybe? No one comes here this late at night. Even the goths and emos either leave by now or come much later."

Balze glared. "And you would know this _how_ exactly?" Silver shrugged. "I've seen kids sneak out." The lavender cat glared at him for a moment, then nodded. Amy rolled her eyes and Sonic said, "Silver's source of knowledge aside, we should probably find Arctic. She got hit pretty deep." Rouge blinked. "That is one of the smartest things I have ever heard you say."

Sonic glared. Blaze rolled her eyes. "Both of you shut up." She started walking along the blood trail, Silver behind her. "Forget the human's Trail of Tears." Amy muttered as she, Rouge, and Sonic followed. "This is the Trail of Blood." Blaze froze, her fur standing on end. "Oh, Chaos, no..." she said, eyes wide with horror. She sprinted forward.

The others followed her and stared at the ground. Arctic lay there, dress tattered, completely limp. The snow around her was completely soaked in blood. Her bad shoulder was buried in the snow, clearly the source of the red snow. There were several more cuts elsewhere. Her eyes fluttered open. "B-Blaze?" she rasped, eyes locking with the lavender cat's.

Blaze nodded. "Yeah, I'm here. What happened? You weren't hurt this badly at the party!" Arctic coughed. "I... Met Shadow here... and at first everything was okay... But then, for no reason... He got angry, really angry, and lashed out... He did this... And I couldn't beat him. He's lost it... Get out of here before he comes back. Now I have... To go... I can see... My mom... And my dad... See you..."

She sighed and closed her eyes. Blaze's eyes widened. "A-Arctic?" She touched the silver vixen's throat. "Th-There's no pulse!" She rolled the other Mobian on to her back and screamed. Arctic's bad shoulder wasn't there. Only a bloody stump where her arm had been. The cat fainted and Silver caught her. He picked her up and backed away, looking like he was going to be ill.

Amy _was_ ill. She darted over to a bush and retched uncontrollably. Rouge's visible eye widened (and maybe the one covered by her fur, but no one could see it, so we'll never know.) and she leaned against a tree. Sonic gaped. "Oh, Chaos... Shadow's really lost it this time." Laughter from behind made him whip around. "That I have, Sonic the Hedgehog."

It was Shadow, except he looked different. His pupils were red, while the rest of his eye was completely black. Red liquid poured from his eyes. A terrifying grin was plastered to his face. Sonic's eyes widened in horror. "Exe!" he whispered horsely. grinned wider. "Let's play hide-and-seek. I'm _it_." Sonic, Rouge, and Silver's eyes stretched wide in terror.

Tails came running from the woods. "Sonic I heard what happened to-" He stared at Shadow. "Hey, Shadow! Why'd you do that to Arctic?" he demanded, running at him and stopping in front of the black hedgehog. Sonic shouted, "No, Tails, he's-!" It was too late. Shadow whipped around and grabbed Tails by the throat. "I am God!" he shouted, eyes wide in insanity.

He jerked his wrist and there was a loud _squelch!_ Tails' body fell to the ground. Emphasis on _body._ His head and neck remained in 's hand. The black hedgehog grinned even wider as blood spattered the ground. He dropped the dead kitsune's head and turned. Blood dripped from his eyes. "Who's next?" He looked at Arctic's body. "Such a shame to make a face that pretty go to waste."

He extended a glowing blue hand. The same glow surrounded the silver fox and she rose, normally sparkling blue eyes as dull as the pebbles in a stream. She walked over to Shadow, clearly not noticing the blood pouring from the stump where her arm used to be. Her eye color started to fade and change. She closed her eyes and the glow around her faded.

She turned to Sonic and the others and her eyes flashed open. They had red pupils, while the rest was black. Rouge yelled, "Oh, great, now we have to deal with _two_ .exes?!" Amy sat up and turned, then her eyes widened. She let out a piercing scream and ran to Sonic. "Save me!" she wailed. Sonic struggled to breath. (would she count as .exe?) cocked her head, bloody tears starting to pour down her face.

She wasn't grinning yet, but she was still creepy. "Save me!" she wailed, her voice perfectly mimicking Amy's. She took a step forward, but then the .exe whatever completely overcame her. A wide grin that was even wider that 's stretched over her face. "Want to play?" she hissed. smirked and put an arm around her. "Let's!" he snarled. The two .exes dashed forward.

grabbed Sonic and Rouge by the throat, while wrapped an arm around Amy's. Silver stared in horror as appeared before him. She grabbed his throat, almost making him drop Blaze. "Can we kill them?" the silver fox begged. 's grin stretched even wider, if that was possible. "Patience, my dear , patience." he purred.

pouted. thought for a moment, then said, "Fuck patience, kill them!" The other .exe's eyes widened in excitement, and she tightened her grip on Amy and Silver's throats. The two regular Mobians closed their eyes, waiting to die. Without warning, laughter filled their ears, along with Rouge and Sonic's whimpers. The four opened their eyes as and released them.

The two wiped their eyes as more bloody tears fell down their cheeks. grinned as she walked over to . "We got them, Shadow!" The black hedgehog grinned, this one not creepy, but amused. "We did, didn't we Ark?" Sonic and Rouge exchanged a glance, while Silver and Amy looked ready to faint. whipped around, the creepy grin back on her face, but she couldn't hold it there.

She smirked and put her hands to her eyes. When she removed them, a pair of black and red contacts rested between her thumb and forefingers. She put them in one hand and pulled plastic capsules from her fur, just under her eyes. She grinned. "You guys are so gullible." " " smirked and pulled the same objects from his eyes. "Honestly. An .exe wouldn't call another " ." They would say her whole name."

Sonic sat down and twitched. "Wh-Wha-?" He took a shuddering breath. "What the hell was th-that?" Rouge snapped. Arctic smirked, wiping the "blood" from under her eyes. "_That_ was payback being a bitch." She rubbed where her arm had been to reveal that it was fake blood. She slid her arm out of the dress and through the strap, a smirk plastered to her face.

She grinned and walked over to Tails body and head. She knelt to pick up the head and shuddered. "This... Is horribly realistic." She held it under the cheeks and blinked at it before setting it gingerly to the side. She poked the orange fox's belly. "You can get up now." Tails' body sat up and Arctic grabbed something on its neck: A zipper. She pulled it down, revealing the real Tails.

He slid out and the skin slid to the ground, revealing a pair of very short stilts. Sonic's eye twitched. "T-Tails? You're not dead? And you were involved in scarring us for life?" Tails nodded sheepishly. "I was blackmailed." Arctic grinned. "Guilty!" She pulled a piece of paper from her tail, along with a lighter, and lit the paper on fire. Tails sighed in relief as the last ashes disintigrated.

"Sorry, Sonic." the orange kitsune said. "But if that picture was shown to someone, I would be a laughing stock. And screwed, but mostly a laughing stock." Arctic grinned. "Yeeeah. Anyway, you guys just got trolled, suck it, let's pretend nothing happened." Sonic's eye twitched and he stopped rocking back and forth. "What the hell _did_ happen?!" he demanded.

Arctic and Shadow exchanged a glance and grinned. "Weeeell..."

Sunday, January 3, 2043, 12:01 a.m. Mobius time

Flashback

The Forest

"Shadow, put that thing down!" Arctic snapped. After she had said "today is a good day to die," Shadow had pulled out a gun and pointed it at his head. She grabbed it from him before he could do something stupid and he started laughing. "Gotcha!" he shouted.

Arctic dragged Shadow to the park. She proudly showed him a trail of blood in the snow. Shadow blinked. "Is that...?" Arctic looked at him. "Real? No. That is, though." She pointed to a trampled part of snow. Blood soaked it. Shadow stared and Arctic explained, "It took a little bit. But it felt _awesome_ on my wound." She grinned at Shadow's eye twitch.

"Anyway," she continued, "Come here..." she pulled out a box and leaned closer to him. He blinked as she pulled two small, red, pill-like things and broke off the top. She slid them into his fur, just under his eyes. He blinked as she poked them, causing the liquid inside to spill down his face. "Don't blink for a sec." Arctic warned as she pulled a new box out.

She put something into his eyes and he blinked quickly, eyes stinging. Oddly enough, everything in his vision was tinted red. Arctic slid a pair of capsules under her own eyes. She pulled out a small compact and opened it. She turned it to Shadow. He looked at the mirror inside and blinked. What looked like red tears spilled down his face, and his eyes had red pupils while the rest was black.

"I look like but with different coloring and quill style." he said disgustedly. Arctic grinned. "That's the point." She pulled a knife from her boot and cut holes in the dress. She pulled out another capsule and broke off the top, then made it look like she was cut up. She pulled her arm into her dress and pressed it against her side, then squeezed the rest of the capsule's contents onto her shoulder.

After she rubbed it in, she grinned and held out her free arm in a "ta-da!" motion. "You bitch, you ripped my arm off!" she joked. "He _what?!_" It was Tails. His voice caused both Arctic and Shadow to jump and spin around. The orange kitsune caught sight of Shadow's face and trembled. "E-E-E-!" he struggled to say "exe," but he was trembling. He turned to flee, but Arctic tackled him.

"Tails! Calm the fuck down! It's just Shadow!" she hissed when he opened his mouth to scream. She rolled him onto his back and clamped her hand over his muzzle, making it impossible for his to scream. "If I let you go, will you yell?" Arctic asked. Tails blinked, then shook his head. "Will you run away?" Another head shake. Arctic released the other fox and stood.

"Good. Because you're going to help us get back at the others for making Shadow and me go on a date. That was very awkward." Shadow nodded solemnly. "It was very much so. Neither of us can dance." Tails blinked. Arctic said, "And if you say no, I will hack into every system connected to the internet and have a popup of _this_." She held up a photo and Tails' eyes widened.

"That is unnecessary! I'll help." Arctic grinned and pulled a Tails Doll costume out of her little bag that maintained its place on her hip. Shadow blinked. "What exactly do you _keep_ in that bitch?" Arctic grinned. "Do you really want to know?" Shadow thought for a second, then shook his head. Arctic cut off the dangling red gem on the Tails Doll's forehead, then handed in to Tails with a pair of small stilts.

"Put those on and then put the costume on." Tails blinked, but didn't argue. Before he put on the mask, Arctic pulled up the costume and zipped it, leaving Tails' head under the neck. Arctic stuffed the head with cloth, then put several capsules in the neck before putting the mask on. The costume looked just like Tails, but a little taller.

"I didn't feel like buying a Tails Doll costume, mainly because they were twenty bucks more expensive. So I got a Tails one instead and sewed a fake gem on it. Easy." Shadow shook his head, liquid from the capsule staining his tan cheeks. "You are crazy." he said, grinning. Arctic gave him a smirk and Tails crossed his arms. "So what am I doing?"

Arctic blinked. "It's kinda creepy to see you talk without moving your mouth. Anyway, you're going to run out, say a few things, and then Shadow's going to rip your head off." Tails' arms fell to his sides and Arctic could practically see his jaw dropping and his eyes widening. "Not really, dumbass." Shadow snapped. "For a genius, you sure are clueless." He turned. "Right?" he asked, slightly nervous.

Arctic grinned. "Of course. Shadow is going to grab the neck of the costume, then rip the head off. Make sure to squeeze _as soon as you do it_. Then Tails will fall backwards and pretend to be dead while we keep going." Arctic pulled out a bracelet that looked an awful lot like one of Shadow's inhibitor rings. "Press the button here and extend your hand towards me."

She pulled out yet another small box and pulled out a pair of contacts. She put them into her eyes and blinked. "These react to the light that bracelet will give off. They'll turn the same color as yours. Then we proceed to scare the shit out of them." Shadow grinned. "Nice." Arctic said, "Tails, we're going to put you where you need to be. When you here Shadow say, "Let's play hide-and-seek, I'm it," run..."

She paused. "Twelve paces forward. Then Shadow will "kill" you." Tails nodded, but it looked more like he was bowing. Arctic grinned. "Shadow, make it realistic. Say things that .exe would say, like, "I am God" and stuff like that." Shadow nodded. "Let's do it!" Arctic grinned and grabbed Tails' arm. She guided him where she wanted him and said, "Twelve paces. Remember that."

Then she walked over to the pile of bloody snow. She paused and make a few scuff marks in the white part of the powder. "Shadow, get right there in that tree. When the others get here, jump down to this spot as soon as Sonic says something about you being crazy like we know he will." Shadow nodded and obeyed, then Arctic lay down in the snow, "missing arm" hidden. Shadow snickered. "This is going to be awesome. Normally I'm not one for practical jokes, but this'll be grand."

"Karma's a bitch alright. Shh! They're coming!"

Sunday, January 3, 2043, 12:23 a.m. Mobius time

Flashback End

The Park

Sonic, Rouge, Amy, Silver, and Blaze (who had woken up just after the story started) gaped at Shadow, Arctic, and Tails. The first two were laughing while the third grinned sheepishly. Arctic smacked Shadow on the back. "To be honest, I didn't know if this guy would go through with it!" she giggled. Shadow rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right! I never miss a shot at revenge!"

Arctic rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know." She yawned, then stretched, wincing slightly as the small hole in her shoulder started scolding her. "I don't know about all of you, but I could sleep until next New Years. No joke." Everyone else noticed how tired they were as well, everyone having not slept for two days. Shadow blinked. "Well, I'm out then."

Arctic blinked. "Where are you going?" Shadow shrugged. "It's kinda crowded at Tails' so I found a different place to crash. Later." Arctic stared after the black hedgehog, then shook her head. "He is an idiot."

Okay, so i am satisfied with that chapter. pretty long. **shadow:** muahahahahaha! finally, i get to make peoples lives miserable! **me:** shadow...you are just... get out. **shadow:** huh? **me:** i said get the fuck out. go. get. if youre nice you can come back next chapter. *slams door* **shadow:** ... 00 ...whatd i do? *cricket, cricket* i get the feeling she was mad at me before i said that...


	10. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

**shadow:** i wonder where ark is? anyway, you know the drill so chapter- **me:** SHADOW! IM GOING TO KILL YOU! **shadow: ***mutters under breath* **not again** i didnt pour koolaid on your shirt this time it was sonic! **me:** *narrows eyes* sonic doesnt use chaos control on a daily basis. **shadow:** *gulps and flees* **me:** *chases* **darius:** okay, i'll do the dis- **sonic:** *shoves darius out of way* arctic doesn't own anything except the story, herself, darius, nico, axle, shyra, and tris. the rest mostly belongs to sega. yes! once again the legit main character get to do something! **shdaow and me:** *looks at with half closed eyes* still an idiot. **me:** anyway, im going to try to start shortening up my chapters. no promises, for those of you who actually like the long chapters, but im probably going to cut off like a fifth of how much ive been doing. *tackles shadow* enjoy!

Monday, January 18, 2043, 12:58 p.m. Mobius time

Tails' house

Arctic lounged on the couch (her arm had all but healed), Shyra and Darius next to her. Tris was somewhere doing something no one cared about, while Nico was passed out across the former three's laps. Arctic smirked and took a picture, then scratched the black cat behind his ears. He purred unconsciously, tail twitching, and Shyra rolled her eyes. "He is _such_ a _kid!_"

Arctic rolled her eyes. "So? What do you expect? He's, like, ten." Darius facepalmed and dragged his hand down his face. "Arctic, he's sixteen." Arctic glared at the gray echidna, her blue eyes locking with his. "I know that. But that's his _physical_ age." Shyra put a hand on the silver and white fox's shoulder. "We know. We also know that you worry about him. But he'll be fine."

Arctic looked away. "It was my fault. It shouldn't have happened." A new voice broke in, "What shouldn't have happened?" It was Tails, standing in the doorway with Cosmo. Nico snorted slightly and sat up. "Hzzzuhwha?" he mumbled. Arctic stood abruptly. "I'll be back later." She left, ducking past the other kitsune and the Seedrian and slipping out the door.

Nico blinked. "Wha...?" He looked around and saw that he was sitting on Darius and Shyra's laps. "Oh. Cat nap. Got it." He scooted off and sat on the couch. Then he looked up. "What'd Laya run out in such a hurry for?" His eyes widened and he slapped his hands over his mouth. "Whoops." he mumbled, his voice muffled by his black-clad hands.

Darius blinked. "I just realized something. The last time we called her Laya was before the inter-galactic war started. When she was twelve. That was five years ago." Nico and Shyra blinked. "Yeah... You're right. Maybe it's time we change that." Shyra murmured. Nico beamed. "Yeah! We'll talk to her like we did five years ago. The war was just a pain in the ass that made us be all formal!"

Shyra rolled her eyes and slapped him upside the head. "_Ow!_" he protested. "But still, why'd she leave like that?" he added. Darius glanced at the ground and muttered, "We were... discussing your age." Nico blinked. "Oh." Tails and Cosmo exchanged a glance and shut the door. "What happened?" Cosmo asked softly. Nico shrugged. "About... seven years ago? I got captured while on patrol with Arctic and Shyra."

"She was furious, but that was just a mask." Shyra added. "She was hiding the fear and worry she had on the inside. In all reality, she was frantic." Darius put in, "She wouldn't stop trying to figure out a way to save him. She never stopped." Cosmo and Tails gaped. Nico continued, "They had me in cryo, waiting for a moment to use me against Laya, but they figured it would just discourage her if they kept me."

"Boy were they wrong. It just pissed her off." Shyra said, grinning. Darius continued, "We finally got an anonymos tip. It was a trap. Arctic knew it, but she charged in head first and took out anyone and anything in her way." Nico blinked. "When she finally got to the cryo pods and let me out, it had seemed as though I was only in there for a minute, if that.

"Imagine my shock when Arctic showed up, took me out of there after freeing everyone else in the pods, and then told me that it had been _four years._" Cosmo gasped and Tails looked horrified. "_Four years?!_" Cosmo yelped. Nico nodded. "Yeah. I could still grow in the stasis watchadinguses, so I'm still physically sixteen, but mentally, I'm only ten. That's why Laya was so upset. She blames herself."

His eyes lost focus. "Gosh, she found my location only two years ago. The memory must still be fresh. She always hated having her people captured on her watch." Tails' eye twitched. "I wonder how Shads felt? He was in one of those bastards for _fifty years_. That's a long time to be an ice cube." Nico shrugged. "It's different for everyone. But I wonder where Laya went?"

Monday, January 18, 2043, 1:12 p.m. Mobius time

Mystic Ruins

Said fox was stalking through the Mystic Ruins, not bothering to look where she was going. The was no one to run into here. A snort made her look up. "What the hell?" she muttered, as always checking above her first. She caught a flash of black amongst the brown and asked, "Shadow? That you?" The aforementioned hedgehog snorted and fell, surprised.

He stood and dusted snow from his fur and quills. "A-Ark! Didn't think I'd see you around here." Arctic blinked. "Clearly. Um... Why were you sleeping up there?" She pointed up at the tree. Shadow turned a fierce shade of red and mumbled something. "What?" Arctic asked. The ebony hedgehog sighed and said, "I said, that's kinda where..." his voice lowered and he mumbled the rest into his chest fur.

"Speak up!" Silaya demanded. Shadow blinked. "You're wearing your hair down!" he blurted out. Arctic looked at him. He sighed and shouted, "I said that that's where I live now! Happy?!" Arctic took a step back and he let out a sigh. "Well. That's depressing, Shads. Why do you live in a tree? I thought you had an apartment." Shadow turned red again. "My landlord kicked me out after I blew a hole in the wall. Long story short, Sonic wanted to hide from Amy and..." he waved a hand.

Arctic nodded. "Makes sense." She gave him a stern look. "You could have come back to live at Tails'. He would have taken you in." She blinked as his stomach grumbled. "Shadow. When was the last time you ate?" Shadow looked sheepish. "Yesterday?" he suggested. Arctic gave him a disbelieving glare and he winced. "The middle of the week before last?"

Arctic's eyes widened. "Shadow! I saw you last week and you said you'd eaten that morning! Look at you, you're so skinny! If you're going to sleep in a tree at least get fat if you're going to do it in winter!" Shadow scowled and mumbled something. "Shadow. _**SPEAK. UP!**_" Shadow cringed. "I said, I didn't have any rings." Arctic heaved a sigh. "Shadow, you could have said something!"

The ebony hedgehog sighed. "Are you going to lecture me now?" he asked, bricing himself. "Luckily for you, no. I'm going to feed you." Arctic told him. Shadow looked up, surprised. Arctic nodded like he was slow. Which in her eyes, he kinda was. "Yeeeah, Shads. Some people actually _caaaare_ when a friend is in a jam." She grabbed his arm. "So let's scram." Shadow rolled his eyes.

The silver fox dragged him to the nearest restaurant and pulled her wallet out of her vest. She looked into it and nodded, satisfied. "Order whatever you want, just not the whole store." Shadow blinked. "You're serious." he said. Arctic rolled her eyes and dragged him inside. After they'd sat down with their menus, a waitress, a dingo-like Mobian, came for their drinks.

"What would you two kids like to drink?" she said with a slight western accent. Arctic smiled. "I'll have a Pepsi, please." Shadow blinked. "Er-Same, please." he said awkwardly. The waitress nodded. "All right, kids, I'll be back in a jiffy." She left and Arctic stretched. "Gosh, it's been a while since I've gone to a restaurant, not, of course, counting that terrible ballroom bitch."

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "I thought we agreed that that never happened." Arctic tipped her head to the side. "That what never happened?" Shadow started, "You just-" he cut himself off. "You know what? Nothing." Arctic grinned. Shadow's eye twitched. This fox just _loved_ getting under his skin, didn't she? The waitress came back. "Are you two ready to order, or do you need a minute?"

Arctic smiled. "I'll just have the augratin potatos with ham." Shadow blinked as the dingo turned to him. "Erm-I'll just have a steak, please. Medium-rare." The dingo wrote this down, took their menus, and walked off, tail waving. "I'll be back in a minute with your food you little lovebugs." Arctic bristled. "Did she just say what I think she just said?" she demanded.

Shadow blinked. "Huh? Sorry, I zoned out for a minute there." Arctic shook her head. "You'd probably get us banned from the place if I told you." Shadow made a "fair enough" gesture and let his mind wander. Then he realized that there was something off. "You're wearing your hair down again." he said. Arctic paused. "Yeah. I am. I just haven't really felt like braiding it, I guess."

She groaned dramatically. "It's all the way back there, and my arms are all the way up here..." Shadow rolled his eyes as she slumped over. He did something she'd done to him on several occasions and poked her belly. Arctic yelped, then poked him back. "So what possessed you to live in a tree?" Shadow turned slightly red. "Er- Nice weather?"

Arctic gave him and exasperated look and he tried again, "Comfy branches?" Arctic punched him in the shoulder. "Shadow." she said warningly. "Three strikes, you're out." Shadow groaned. "Okay, okay! I was embarrassed, alright?" Arctic sighed. "I hate men sometimes. They're so stubborn. One time, my dad's friend Son-" She hesitated, which perked Shadow's curiosity.

"What was I saying again?" she asked. The look in her eyes told Shadow that she hadn't really forgotten. "Something about what one of your dad's friends did?" Arctic blinked. "Oh, yeah! My dad's friend Son-er-Sonar had used his tracking equipment without asking and had broken most of it. He said that he hadn't done anything, but Dad found some of his fur on it. Sonar still wouldn't admit it, though!"

Shadow blinked as he noticed her hesitation again. He decided that he'd just wait and see if she kept doing that. "Don't look at me. I'm an artificial male." She snorted. "Just as irritating and stubborn." Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Look who's talking. You didn't stop with "the plan" even when you got a blade thrown at you." Arctic shrugged. "That was determination."

Shadow opened his mouth, but before he could, a pair of Mobians walked in, a male german shepard and a female dove. The german shepard had a malicious glint in his eye as they walked over to Arctic and Shadow. "Shadow the Hedgehog?" the dove asked silkily. Shadow nodded slowly. "That would be me." The german shepard lunged forward and grabbed him.

The dove watched carelessly. Arctic snarled as Shadow fought to free himself. The Shepard had surprised him, allowing him to just manage to restrain the ebony hedgehog. "Let him go!" Arctic growled, leaping onto the dog's back. He threw her off effortlessly, and the silver fox let out a shocked gasp as she crashed into another table, breaking it in half.

She stood shakily. "H-How?!" she stammered. She'd never been tossed away like that! She shook her head and darted forward as the German Shepard put Shadow in a sleeper hold. She leaped into the air and gave the dog a roundhouse kick to the back of his head. Shocked, he loosened his grip on Shadow enough to let the hedgehog escape.

The dove snapped, "Enough!" She added silkily to Arctic and Shadow, "This is nonsense. If you come quietly, Shadow the Hedgehog, your silver friend might have enough time to save the little green striped fox before he is taken too." Arctic and Shadow froze. The Shepard used their distraction to grab Shadow from behind, pinning his arms to his sides.

Arctic growled. She grabbed a plate and threw it at the dove. "Get out of here, you damn pigeon!" While everyone was distracted, she plucked something off of Shadow, who blinked. The dove clumsily leaped out of the way. "Good gracious!" she gasped. Arctic growled and punched the Shepard in the face, but it did little other than hurt her hand and make the big dog evn more angry.

Temporarily forgetting Shadow, he lunged at the silver fox, figuring that if he could take this little fleabag out, he could get things done quicker. Arctic smirked and darted out of the way at the last second. She darted over to Shadow as he was getting up, grabbed his arm, and shouted something. It wasn't the fact that she shouted in his ear that surprised Shadow, it was more the words that came out of her mouth.

"Chaos Control!"

Monday, January 18, 2043, 8:23 p.m. Mobius time

The Forest

Shadow blinked as he rematerialized in the snow. He looked at Arctic, who stood next to him, and scrambled away. "Y-Y-You c-c-can C-C-C-C-" She cut him off, "Yes. I'm a Chaos user. Second Gen." Shadow blinked. "Second Gen.?" he asked. Arctic sighed and sat down in the white powder around them. "Yeah. My dad was a Chaos user too. He taught me almost everything."

Shadow's eye twitched. "I thought me, Faker, and the others were the only ones." Arctic huffed. "Small world, Shadow. The others are Second Generation Chaos users as well. They can do other things, too." Shadow blinked. "Like what?" Arctic scratched the back of her head. "Nico is pyro- and telekinetic. He can only control existing flames, but he can make them grow from the tiniest spark.

"His telekinesis is pretty strong, but after a while of using it he gets tired. Darius-" She broke off and her ears pricked. "You hear that?" She sprang to her feet. "Axle!" Shadow sprang up as well. The silver fox had sprinted off by the time he was on his feet, but he quickly caught up to her. "Erm-Chaos Control, anyone?" Arctic glared. "If we just show up in the middle of the clearing, we lose the element of surprise."

Shadow conceded this point and scooped her up, then ran faster (using his hover shoes like a lazy bum). Shadow glared at the sky. "Hey! I'm no lazy bum!" Arctic raised an eyebrow. "Who are you talking to?" Under her breath she hissed, "Fourth wall, dude!" Shadow grumbled and skidded to a halt. His jaw dropped. Arctic turned her head to see what he was looking at and hers did the same.

Near the tree that Axle had been sleeping in, more robots than they could count, bigger than most of Eggman's, surrounded the little three-tailed fox. Arctic snarled as one of the robots fired a bullet at the kit. "This will not happen." She pulled a slingshot out of her bag. Shadow blinked. "You didn't mention _that_ as a weapon choice earlier." Arctic blinked. "That's because it's not."

She reached for the silver dragon pendant at her throat and yanked it off. There was a _snap!_ as the ribbon broke. She put the pendant into the sling and drew it back. She released it silently, and all that could be seen was the slightest glint of silver as the dragon sailed throught the air. She put a hand to her belt, where a gem matching the one that was the dragon's eye gleamed.

Her fur started to glow slightly and she closed her eyes. When she opened them, their normal blue was crimson. Shadow resisted the urge to shiver. There was a loud roar. Shadow turned to see a glimmer that grew, and kept growing, until a small silver dragon was visible. Arctic let out a ferocious roar, causing all of the robots to look around. Axle blinked up at the silver dragon.

The dragon flew to Arctic and disappeared into her chest in a puff of glittering air. Arctic's fur began to disappear, replaced by something white and hard. Her eyes turned snake-like, retaining their crimson color. Her two tails lengthened, the fur disappearing. Her fingers also began to lengthen, her nails replaced by deadly-looking talons, while her hair turned completely white.

Shadow took a step back as Arctic began to grow slightly. Her torso elongated and wings sprouted from her back. Then she started writhing in what looked like agony. All of this happened in about a second. Smoke and snow rose up, blinding Shadow. By now, the robots had seen where the commotion was coming from and several were marching their way. Soon, though, the dust cleared, revealing a creature that Shadow had only seen in stories.

A large, white-scaled dragon with crimson eyes and silvery blue wings, as well as two scaly tails now stood on four legs where a silver and white kitsune had stood not a heartbeat before. It turned its eyes to Shadow and narrowed them. The red shifted to the tri-colored blue that belonged to Arctic. The dragon's nostrils flared and Arctic's voice, albeit deeper and rougher, giggled, "Lay off the Old Spice, Shadow the Hedgehog."

A small white fox with green stripes caught her attention. "Axle." she hissed. She was gone in a split second, her scales slithered across the ice as she darted over to the robots. In several heartbeats, hundreds of robots lay devastated on the ground, completely destroyed. Shadow blinked and a hundred more were down. He rubbed his eyes and almost a thousand were gone. But still there were more.

Shadow darted forward to help. The white dragon turned on him when he approached her, but backed off when she saw it was him. "Don't sneak up on me like that when I'm like this!" she rumbled, swinging her tails and taking out multiple robots. Shadow rolled his eyes and Chaos speared a robot. "Where's Axle?" he asked. The dragon looked embarrassed.

She moved one paw to the side to reveal Axle cowering under her belly. "I panicked." she muttered as Axle darted over to Shadow, petrified. "Oh!" the dragon gasped, eyes widening. "Yep. I'm done." She fell to the side in a puff of snow. Shadow poked her exposed belly and tried to keep the robots off of her. "Uh, Dragon? I'd like it if you could get your ass up!"

The dragon groaned and began to shrink. She seemed to wriggle out of her skin, which disintigrated, revealing a bedraggled-looking Arctic. She sat up, groaning. "Dammit! I forgot how much that hurts..." She fell to the side. As though in reply, her dragon pendant fell next to her. She picked it up. Shadow grabbed her and helped her up. "Chaos Spear!" he yelled, spiking several robots at once. "Need a hand?" he joked.

Arctic shrugged and drew her katana. "I _would_ appreciate it!" Shadow rolled his eyes as he Chaos Speared another pair of robots. "So what the hell was that?" Shadow shouted. Arctic grinned, relieving a robot of its top half. "Something I can do only when I'm really fucking desperate. And it hurts like hell." Shadow rolled his eyes, then looked around.

"Where'd Axle go?!" he yelled. Arctic snarled. "There!" She pointed to a robot near Axle's tree. "So you've finally noticed!" The robots stopped attacking as a loud voice spoke up. Arctic immediately got into a defending position. Shadow charged a Chaos spear. The big blue echidna man appeared, along with Lynn. Arctic growled. "What the hell do you want?" she snarled.

The echidna male rolled his eyes. "Kill them." The robots attacked once more. Arctic sighed and drew her bow. She fired a shot into the air, which exploded and rained down fire. She put the bow away and continued to slice and dice with her katana, leaving nothing more than scraps, but then one surprised her, making her drop the weapon.

The robot picked it up and ran its hand over the blade. Arctic thought she saw a light blink, but then she gasped as the robot thrust her own sword into her stomach. "Silaya!" Shadow shouted. He crashed into the robot and ripped it apart. He pulled the sword out of her stomach and she put a hand to the wound. "I'm okay. You got it before it shoved the blade in very deep. Thanks." Shadow looked away. "Take better care of yourself next time, Princess."

Arctic glared at him. Shadow rolled his eyes. "Get down!" he shouted. He shoved Arctic to the ground and she covered her head as he yelled, "_**Chaos...!**_" Arctic remembered that a robot had Axle. She sprinted over as Shadow started gathering energy. She quickly destroyed the robot and shoved something into Axle's hand, then shoved him to the ground. "_**BLAST!**_" Shadow shouted.

Arctic cried out as she was thrown into a tree by the force of the blast. "Arctic!" Axle's cry was lost in the noise of the explosion. Shadow fell to one knee, admiring the sight of melted metal. Only a few robots and the two echidnas remained. He panted furiously, tired. He stood up and picked up his Chaos emerald. He stood and looked around.

Axle was on the ground, sitting up, and Shadow felt a little guilty that he had forgotten the fact that a robot was holding him. _Arctic must have gotten to him in time._ Arctic. He looked around frantically. "Where is she?" he growled. Axle had something in his hand. He sniffed and Shadow darted over to him. "Are you all right?" he asked desperately. He opened his hand and held it out to Shadow, who's eyes widened. A silver dragon glared at him with a blue gem for an eye.

"Where did you get that?" he rasped. The green-striped fox said, "Sh-She gave it to me just before th-the e-explosion w-went off." he whimpered. Shadow moaned and straightened. "Keep a tight hold on that." he said. He looked around, feeling around for the Chaos Energy that he always felt around her, that he had always found strange until he knew she was a Chaos user. He picked it up immediately, but it was weak.

He turned to see the big echidna smirking, three robots at his side. Lynn had joined them. "Missing _this?_" the big echidna growled. The robot in the middle Arctic in its arms, bridal style. She looked only semi-conscious. Her head rolled and she mouthed, _Run!_ Shadow's eyes widened. "What do you want?" he snarled, putting a hand on Axle's head as the little fox clung to his leg.

The echidna growled, "Just the little freak on your leg. Nothing more, nothing less." Shadow snarled angrily. Arctic struggled to get up, calling weakly, "He is _not_ a freak!" Axle tightened his grip on Shadow's leg. "Be brave, buddy." Shadow said, using the word for the first time in his life. Axle nodded. The echidna yelled, "Come on! It's not much to ask for. All I'm asking for in return for your friend is a little brat!"

Shadow snarled, then blinked as he felt Axle release him. He turned to see Axle walking forward. He grabbed the little kitsune's arm. "What are you doing?" Axle pulled his arm away and said, "Being brave." Shadow's eyes widened as the kit ran ahead. "Axle, don't!" The green-striped fox stopped in a few yards away. "Give Arctic to Shadow and you can _have_ me!"

The echidna blinked and exchanged a glance with his daughter, who shrugged. He waved a hand and the robot in the middle adjusted its grip on a horrified-looking Arctic. "Axle, no!" she screamed, finding her voice. "Run! Run away! I'll be fine! Just go!" Axle gave her a sad look and said softly, "I love you, Arctic." She thrashed and the robot tightened its grip. She yelled, regardless, "No! I've been in this kind of situation before! I'll be fine! Just g-Ah!"

She screamed as a different robot struck her. Blood spattered the ground. The robot tossed Arctic in the direction of Shadow, who yelled in surprise and darted forward to catch her, even as a robot grabbed Axle. "You bastard!" yelled Axle. Arctic groaned. "Shadow, I'm going to kill you..." she mumbled, struggling to get up. Shadow pushed her back down. "I'll get him."

"I meant because it was more likely than not _you_ who taught him that word." Shadow cringed. "I figured as much." Arctic grunted and managed to get to one knee. "Good. Enjoy your last battle." Shadow cringed and turned back to the echidna. "Give him back!" The echidna laughed. "No. I wonder how he'll look as a fox-sicle?" Arctic's eyes widened and she charged forward, ignoring her injuries.

A robot charged at her, arms outstretched. She vaulted over it, throwing several knives at its head from hidden spots on her person. The echidna's eyes widened in horror and he leapt into the other robots arms. "Get us out of here!" The two robots vanished into thin air, but they left Lynn behind. In less than a heartbeat, Arctic had kicked the girl into the snow and had her katana pressed to Lynn's throat.

Arctic planted a foot on the echidna's chest. "Where is he taking Axle!" she snarled. Lynn's eyes were wide with fear. Arctic pressed her katana harder against the girl's throat. "_Tell me._" she snarled. Shadow cringed. She had just been clonked by a robot, but she was still determined to beat the shit out of whoever stood in her way. The echidna girl started making frantic hand motions.

Shadow blinked as he recognized them. "Er-Arctic? She can't speak." Arctic looked up at him, anger in her eyes, then she saw that he was serious. She looked back down at Lynn and peered at her. "I see." Shadow blinked. "You do?" Lynn cocked her head. Arctic nodded. "Yes. There." She tapped a spot on the echidna's neck with her katana, causing the other girl to flinch.

"Right here. There's a spot where her throat's been mangled. And then there's this." She moved the slim blade to the place between the echidna's throat and her collarbone. "There's something out of place. I could just..." She flipped the blade around and smacked Lynn's throat with the hilt. The echidna yelped, then touched her throat. "Can you say anything _now?_" Arctic growled, impatient.

Lynn blinked up at her and managed to rasp, "Arctic." Arctic rolled her eyes. "Yes, that's me, now are you going to say more, or do I have to kill you?" Lynn winced. "Circle." she muttered. Shadow huffed. "Arctic circle. Very helpful. He blinked. "Actually, it is! The Arctic Circle! Wait a sec. As in, on _Earth?!_" Lynn nodded sheepishly.

Arctic sighed. "A trip to Earth is-" She broke off with a screech of surprise as a robot appeared out of nowhere, smacked her into a nearby tree, grabbed Shadow and Lynn, and took off. She sprang to her feet and snarled, "What is with people and trees recently?" She noticed Shadow's Chaos emerald on the ground and scooped it up as she took off running.

She could hear the robot trampling through the bushes. Thinking quickly, she leaped into a tree. She leapt from branch to branch, following the sound of Shadow's angry shouting and swearing. She leaped in front of the robot, which skidded to a halt as she whipped out her katana. She sliced off one of its arms and Lynn fell to the ground. Panicked, the robot flew off. "Shadow!" Arctic yelled.

The only reply was swearing as the ebony hedgehog was lost from her sight. She whipped around and glared at the blue echidna she had managed to get from the robot. Marching over to her, Arctic kicked her to the ground. "I need to know where the hell they're going, and I want specifics." she snarled. "No one takes one of my friends, let alone two, without _serious_ reprimand."

Her eyes glittered dangerously and Lynn gasped, "Taking... To Earth... Experiment... Arctic Circle. Coordinates... Zero, zero... At unknown location." Arctic's eyes narrowed."Is that all you can tell me?" Lynn nodded, eyes wide in fear. Arctic returned the nod and began walking away. Lynn scrambled to her feet and moved to flee, but Arctic's voice said, "Oh, and Lynn?" The echidna turned to find a pair of tri-colored blue eyes were inches from her own.

"I told you no one messes with my friends without reprimand. Here's yours for messing with two."

as i said, shorter. **shadow:** what the hell? why'd i have to be captured? and what the hell just happened to Lynn? **me:** 1 what do you care about the echidna? 2 if i told you that- **shadow: **if you say id have to kill you i will chaos blast you. **me:** actually no. it would just spoil the story. which would suck. so yeah. screw dat. dont worry, the answer will pop up later. and if you think you know, please dont tell anyone. thanks. _PEACE!_ **shadow:** wait i know what hap-hurk! **me:** *grabs muzzle and throat* SHUT THE FUCK UP! anyway, as i said, _PEACE!_

oh, and im not good with coordinates so 0,0 is the center of the arctic circle. lulz


	11. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

**nico:** arctic? aaaaarrrctiiiic? the readers are here! ...what the fuck. hey guys! sorry arctic isnt here at the moment. she must have gone to tails or shadow's place. more likely than not shadows. okay, so, ill just have to do this myself! good, i havent been really important in the story. anyway, arctic owns nothing except the storyline, herself, axle, me, darius, shyra, and tris. oh, and her brother's soul. he sold it to her for a yu-gi-oh card. enjoy!

Monday, January 18, 2043, 11:33 p.m. Mobius time

Tails' House

Arctic burst through the door, causing Tails, Tris, Darius, Shyra, and Nico to leap into the air. Arctic guessed that Cosmo was sleeping. Arctic herself was in rough shape. Blood spattered her front, and she was soaked through. She had a cut across her forehead, and a stab wound in her stomach. "Shadow's been captured and is being taken to Earth." she gasped without preamble. Tails sprang to his feet. "I'll try to get ahold of the others, then Chris."

Arctic shook her head. "No time. It'll take to long to establish a connection to Earth. You take care of Chris, I'll go get the others." She darted out without waiting. Nico blinked. "Wow. That was..." Darius raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. She disappears for several hours, then comes back covered in blood with the news that Shadow was captured. What a lovely way to get a wake-up call."

Not five minutes later, Arctic was back, dragging several sleepy, cranky Mobians behind her. Sonic, Knuckles, Amy, Rouge, Silver, and Blaze. Rouge looked ready to kick someone out a window, Knuckles was dead on his feet, Amy was even too tired to chase Sonic. The blue blur was the only one who looked even slightly awake. "Alright, who the hell had the nerve to kidnap Shads?"

"Someone with a death wish." Arctic muttered. "It was that blue echidna, Lynn, and her father." Tails blinked. "Lynn? Father?" Arctic winced. In her exhaustion and anger, she had forgotten that she and Shadow hadn't told the others about the flower. "Er... Well..." She sighed, then started explaining, leaving out what the flower had actually _become_, AKA Axle.

Tails blinked. "He got the flower?" he demanded when Arctic finished. The silver kitsune nodded. "We were going to tell you, but then we figured that we don't know anything about anything right now, so we were going to try to find out more. We didn't want to endorse false hope." Tails hesitated, then nodded and went back to his work. Amy sat up, Piko Piko hammer in hand.

"We've gotta save Shadow. Mainly because if he has to escape on his own he'll kill us all." Everyone exchanged glances, knowing the legitimacy of this statement. Arctic rolled her eyes. "Oh, sure, cause no one actually _likes_ Shadow, Amy, and would save him because he's a friend." Amy blushed furiously. Sonic said, "She's right, Ames. Shadow's our friend. That's why we should save him, not cause he'd kill us all if we didn't."

Silver blinked. Blaze stated, "Sonic, that is the coolest thing I have ever heard you say. And you were trying every other time. Plus, not dying because Shadow didn't have to escape on his own is a nice little extra." The tension in the room eased a bit as everyone chuckled. "I've got it!" Tails suddenly shouted. "I hacked Chris' iPod! Chris! _Chris!_" The T.V. showed nothing but a ceiling as Tails hooked it up to his phone. There was a groan. "What the hell is _that?_" Chris' voice groaned. "Chris!" yelled Sonic. "We have a problem."

Chris' voice said, confused, "Sonic? I must be going nuts..." Arctic sighed. "Look at your iPod, dammit!" Darius blinked at the outburst. "I don't know that voice..." Chris muttered, sounding confused. His face suddenly appeared in the screen. "Holy-!" he broke off as he almost dropped the iPod. "Guys! Holy shit, you scared me. How are you doing?"

Arctic moved forward and the brown-eyed human blinked. "That's a new face. And... Holy hell, she has two tails! Like Tails! And wait, why are you covered in blood and water?" Arctic sighed, "Yes, yes, lovely. I know that you'd probably love to catch up with your friends, but here's a long story short. I'm Silaya "Arctic" Raicha, but everyone calls me Arctic. This is Darius, Nico, Shyra, and Tris.

"We come from a place a long way away and we came here to escape a war. Since we got here, the seed from Cosmo wound up getting stolen-" Cosmo's voice yawned, "What's going on?" She walked down the steps and gasped, "Chris!" as she saw the T.V. Chris gaped. "Cosmo! But you-" he broke off, dumbfounded. "Long story." Arctic said.

"Anyway, we got the flower back, it got stolen again after I brought Cosmo back-don't ask." She explained the rest of what had happened quickly. Cosmo gaped. "My flower _what?!_" she shouted, a complete change in character. Tails whispered something into her ear and she relaxed slightly. "Then me and Shadow got jumped by a dove and a German Shepard and we Chaos controlled away but Shadow still wound up captured and he's being shipped to the Arctic Circle."

Arctic gasped for air as she finished. Chris blinked. "Wow. Okay, then. We're going to have to find a way to save Shadow. Tails blinked. "Wait, I thought you were eighteen in your world? Why do you look like you're still that? It's been a little over ten years since you came here and then we sent you back. Wouldn't you grow to match the age you were when you left?"

Chris blinked. "Oh. When I came back, only a few months had passed, not years. And when I came back, I actually _lost_ two years from my physical form, so I looked _eight_ when I got back instead of ten, which I was there. But it's been ten years here, too." Arctic blinked. "Then whatever you used to get here-if we're going to use it to get there-needs to be tweaked if we want to arrive in the right time." Chris nodded. "That's right. Luckily, I've been tweaking it for a while. I can get you guys here, but you'll need at least five emeralds."

Sonic moaned. "Well that's lovely. Shadow was taken. He had one of the emeralds. I have two, Tails and Knuckles have one, and Shadow had the last one." Arctic blinked. "Actually..." she muttered. She pulled the green emerald from behind her back. "He dropped it." she explained. Chris grinned. "Tails, remember the X-Alpha Project I was working on in the Blue Typhoon? Install it into port 36-C in the main breaker..."

He went on to explain how to connect it, using sciency terms that only Tails and Arctic understood. "Platinum razor converter? Isn't that a little dangerous? The synondrum's nucleus could implode under the sheer atomic clensaterum pressure." Arctic protested as Cosmo fixed her up with a first aid kit. Rouge's eye twitched. "What?" Arctic blinked. "Shiny thing go boom-boom under big weight." Rouge blinked. "What?"

"Boom. Destruction."

"Why didn't just you say that?"

(A/N: idk if that stuff's real, as i just made it up to sound smart.)

Arctic rolled her eyes and went back to listening to Chris' explanation as Cosmo finished up and put the first aid kit away. The fox was now clean of blood except for her vest, and she had strips of leather wrapped around her forehead and midsection After about five minutes of very long words that made almost everyone's eyes twitch, Tails finally unplugged the T.V. from his phone and continued to talk to Chris as they all headed towards the giant underground garage that Tails kept the Typhoon in. "Will we really need such a big ship?" Rouge asked.

Darius explained, "From what I understood, not only is the whatever half put in to the Typhoon, but the ship's been engineered to channel the power of the Master Emerald, so it's probably the only thing won't collapse under the pressure of being pushed into Earth's realm on purpose." Rouge nodded. "Makes sense." Tails said to Knuckles, "We're going to need the Master Emerald."

Knuckles nodded. Without consent, Sonic grabbed his arm, sprinted off accompanied by a sonic boom, and came back about a minute later. Knuckles, the shrunken Master Emerald in hand, looked slightly dizzy as he stumbled into the garage. When everyone else followed, he was already putting the Master Emerald into place. He facepalmed as he finished. "Note to self. Stay away from Sonic when time is of the essence."

Shyra rolled her eyes. "Wouldn't you want to be near him?" Knuckles glared, but with his dizziness he was looking about a foot to her left. "No!" he snapped. The conversation was left at that.

"Okay, Chris, what now?" Tails asked his phone after he had made sure that he had followed the human's directions comepletely. Chris grinned. "Turn on the Blue Typhoon!" Tails grinned as well and sprinted to the bridge, everyone else following. Tails hesitated. "Should we bring Cream and Cheese?" Arctic raised an eyebrow and sighed at the naive question.

"Would you want to face Vanilla this late at night to tell her, "Hey, Vanilla. We're here super late at night to take your fifteen year old daughter and her pet on a dangerous mission to Earth where there's deadly robots. Cool?" I think not." Tails conceded her point. "But who's going to take her place?" A certain ebony bat grinned. "Move over, bitches." Shyra said, a smirk plastered to her face. "I got this."

She hopped up into the seat Cream normally took and put her hands on the controls. Nico muttered under his breath, "Show off." Arctic nudged him and sat down in the nearest chair. Tails took up his seat and said, "All right. Here we go. Amy, type in-" he listed a series of codes and coordinates. Amy typed them in swiftly. Arctic grinned. "Punch it!" she yelled. Tails smirked and pressed a button. The Typhoon shook.

"What the hell was-?!" was as far as Darius got before the ship surged forward and seemed to go into hyper drive. "Whoa!" cried Tris, grabbing on to Arctic's chair to keep from flying backwards. Nico and Darius weren't so lucky. Darius smashed into the wall, Nico landing on top of him. Suddenly, it stopped, sending the two flying forward. Tris smacked her face on Arctic's chair.

The silver fox had remained relaxed the entire time, reclining against her seat. "That was fun." she said, then she gasped. She had just looked out the window. The Earth was right below them. "It's so pretty..." she said in an awe-filled voice. Shyra nodded. "It's like a giant blue and green gem all its own." Sonic raised an eyebrow and joked, "A big gem? You've been hanging around Rouge too long."

Nico snickered. Rouge slapped the Blue Blur as the rest of the group prepared to land.

Monday, January 18, 2014, 11:33 p.m. Earth time

Unknown Location

Shadow groaned and sat up. He looked around, confused, as laughter rang out. "You fool! You honestly thought you could best us?" It was the large echidna. Shadow glared as the navy blue Mobian strutted in. "Ha! The great Shadow the Hedgehog, in _chains!_" Shadow blinked and looked at his wrists. Sure enough, chains sat beneath the inhibitor rings on his arms.

"So where's your little daughter?" Shadow mocked. The echidna turned red, which made him look purple. "I don't know. She never returned." Shadow scorned, "What, you were good enough to take me but not save your kid? *Loser.*" he coughed the last part. The large echidna marched over and backhanded him, sending the smaller Mobian jerking against his chains.

A purple tiger raced in and threw her arms around the echidna. He looked stunned. "What-?" The tiger interrupted, "Th-They-I mean, _she_ killed-" She choked. The echidna grabbed her shoulders. "Calm down. Deep breaths. What happened?" The tiger gulped air, but instead of talking, she pulled out a small holo and slid a small chip into it. "One of our mosquito 'bots recorded this."

A play button popped up and she pressed it. Shadow watched, shocked, as Arctic and the blue echidna, Lynn, popped up. (A/N: WARNING! RATED M WORTHY GORE AHEAD! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!)

_ Arctic's eyes narrowed."Is that all you can tell me?" Lynn nodded, eyes wide in fear. Arctic returned the nod and began walking away. Lynn scrambled to her feet and moved to flee, but Arctic's voice said, "Oh, and Lynn?" The echidna turned to find a pair of tri-colored blue eyes were inches from her own. "I told you no one messes with my friends without reprimand. Here's yours for messing with two."_

_ She looked confused for a moment, then ferocious. She swung her katana, slashing the echidna across the stomach. Lynn screamed in pain as blood spattered the silver fox's face. The fox let out a gutteral snarl and stabbed her katana through the other girl's leg. This evoked a scream from the echidna. Arctic pulled it out and the echidna tried to crawl away, but her leg held her back from escaping._

_ A feral grin spread across Arctic's blood covered face. She slashed the echidna's stomach again, cutting through the skin. She swung her katana, cutting off the echidna's tail as the blue girl's arms clutched her stomach, struggling to keep her guts from falling out. The fox licked some blood off of her blade before shoving it down through Lynn's stomach and out of her back, pinning the echidna to the ground._

Shadow cringed. He hadn't known Arctic had this kind of muderous potential. _Oh, Chaos, end it quickly!_ he prayed.

_Arctic wasn't finished yet. She pulled a dagger out of her boot and brushed her hair out of her face. She then took the dagger and threw it at the echidna. It stuck into her shoulder, causing the already painfilled her to cry out. The echidna looked ready to pass out from pain soon. Arctic grinned and laughed maniacly. "Oh, no, you don't." She pulled a small syringe from her vest and injected it into Lynn._

_ "Adrenaline." Arctic sneered. "You'll be awake until you die." Lynn's fear filled face was streaked with tears and more and more blood seeped into the snow beside her. She grabbed the balde that pinned her to the ground and tried to pull it out, but it was in too deep and she had no leverage. Arctic knelt next to her and took her hand, holding a dagger in the other, and made a quick slash, easily slicing through the echidna's wrist._

_ Lynn stared in shock at the bloody stump of her wrist and whimpered in pain, her throat too worn to scream. Arctic looked at her other hand thoughtfully. Lynn, bleeding out from multiple areas, was close to death. Arctic ripped her katana from the echidna's belly, eliciting a tiny gasp. Lynn's eyes were starting to fog over. Arctic pulled out a pack of matches and struck one, then lit the others with it._

_ Arctic froze, closed her eyes tightly, and when she opened them, she let out a scream of fear at the sight of Lynn's bloody and dying body. She dropped the lit up matches onto Lynn's dress as she fell back, luckily or unluckily the one dry part. The silver fox whimpered as she scooched back, her hand bumping her katana and gripping the hilt, She screamed again when she saw the blood coating it._

_ She threw the blade away, then looked down at herself and let out yet another scream when she saw herself. She scrambled to her feet and ran, reluctantly snatching her bloody katana on the way past. She sprinted as fast as she could. Without warning, she slipped on a hidden patch of ice and fell, breaking it as she landed on her back. She laid there, panting, as water soaked her ass. To be honest, she couldn't have cared less._

_ She sat up, panting, and climbed out of the water. She had reached the lake, which was completely frozen over. She broke more of the ice, then stared at herself in the water. She was completely covered in blood. And most of it wasn't hers. She took a deep breath. "What have I done!?" she wailed. She took another breath and plunged her head underwater._

Shadow gaped. "What the hell?!" He relaxed a moment later when she pulled her head up, trying to rub the blood off. After she was as clean as she could get, she cleaned her weapons and fled, most likely to Tails' house. The holo shut off, having reached the end of the "movie." Shadow gaped. "She... She just-" he broke off and the big echidna finished, "She just _killed_ my daughter!"

The tiger nodded. "Your "experiment" worked well, but not as you planned." The echidna shook his head. "No, it worked perfectly. It just had unexpected results." He turned to Shadow. "How does it feel to know that your girlfriend is a murderer?" Shadow strained against his shackles. "What the hell did you do to her?!" he snarled. A shrug was the echidna's answer.

"I did nothing to her. Sorry 'bout your luck." The blue echidna's feral grin showed Shadow that he was lying. "Good night!" the tiger purred as she and the echidna left. Shadow slumped, realizing that the silly, goofy fox he had become friends with was a cold-hearted killer. Another thing that the echidna had said suddenly registered. "Hey! She's not my girlfriend! We're just friends asshole!"

The only response he got was the lights shutting off, leaving him in utter darkness, and maniacal laughter.

Wednesday, January 19, 2014, 10:45 a.m. Earth time

Chris Thorndyke's house

After getting some sleep, Sonic and the others sat around in Chris' living room. Arctic, Shyra, Blaze, and the other girls wore pajamas, everyone except fo the aforementioned three wearing onesies. Blaze and Shyra wore sweatpants with a baggy t-shirt, while Arctic wore a tank top and shorts. Chris came in, stretching, in a t-shirt and basketball shorts.

The eighteen-year-old sat down on the couch and looked at them. "Okay. Start from the beginning. Where did _they_-" he waved his hand to Arctic and the others, who exchanged a glance and grinned. "-come from, what happened to Shadow, and what are we going to do?" Arctic stated, "We game from a galaxy far, far away..." Chris sniggered. "Not that far if you can quote Star Wars."

Arctic rolled her eyes, but still grinned. "Several light years at _least_. Anyway, where we came from, there was an intergalactic war. Everything was wrecked. Our parents sent us away in this machine before they were all killed. We came here sometime in December. The day of Vanilla and Vector's wedding." Chris blinked. "They're married now?!"

Arctic nodded, then explained Cosmo's return and what happened leading up to Shadow's capture, once more leaving out Axle and replacing it with the excuse that the forest was the first place she thought of. Tails blinked. "You used Chaos Control? I thought that Shadow had-" he broke off and shook his head. Arctic blinked. "Did I forget to specify that?" There were several nods from everyone in the room.

Arctic grinned sheepishly. "Heh, heh. Whoops. But hey, you saw me use Chaos Blast. It's kind of implied that I can use Chaos control. I mean, I wasn't in my sane mind, but still." Chris shrugged. "Not the strangest thing to ever happen." Everyone made "fair enough" gestures. Arctic moved on to finish the story, leaving out that she had murdered Lynn particularly violently, and finished up with, "Now, who has any ideas about what the fuck we're gonna do?"

There were several blank stares. Arctic facepalmed. "Okay then." A blond woman in a wheelchair rolled in. "Oh, hey, you're all awake!" she exclaimed. "But the newcomers were never introduced. I'm Helen. What are all of your names?" Arctic blinked and introduced herself and her friends. "...and Nico." she finished, beckoning to the black cat. "Don't worry, he's not unlucky if he walks in front of you."

The cat was staring at Helen with wide eyes. "You're really pretty! Are you and Chris dating, because that wouldn't be surprising that he'd go out with a pretty girl like you. I'd bet my fur that you're really smart, too!" Arctic slapped her hand over his muzzle before he could say anything else, not wanting him to embarrass Helen and Chris anymore. Helen giggled, and her cheeks were slightly pink.

"Oh my gosh, he's adorable!" Nico purred at Helen's words. Shyra rolled her eyes. "I swear he's more like a regular Earth cat than a Mobian." Helen looked over. "I'm sorry, what was your name again? I forgot." Shyra fell over comically. Nico snickered and stuck his tongue out. Darius grinned and Tris just rolled her eyes. Helen scratched Nico behind the ears.

Nico purred even louder. Darius smirked. "Nico's got a giiirlfriend, Nico's got a giiiiiirlfriend." he chanted. Nico hissed and Arctic smacked the dark gray echidna. "Ow!" Darius whined. Helen blinked at Arctic. "Is he always like this?" Arctic shook his head. "Generally he's better. Must be being in a new place. I apologize in advance for anything any of them do."

Shyra scowled. "You don't have to apologize for all of us!" She flung her hands in the air, smacking a vase in the process and knocking it to the floor, causing it to shatter into thousands of tiny pieces. Startled, Nico leaped into the air, grabbing the chandelier above his head and hanging from it. Darius, who was also shocked by the sudden noise, leaped into Helen's arms. The woman blinked. "Okay then."

Arctic and Tris facepalmed. Chris sighed. Arctic groaned. "Here, I'll take care of the glass and then we'll figure out how to save-" Before she could finish, the glass of the large window near them shattered in, knocking her back as a robot crashed inside. Six more followed. Arctic snarled and kicked up, knocking the robot off of her. "Chris!" she snapped. "Get Helen out of here!"

Chris didn't bother arguing. Darius leaped off of the blond woman's lap and got into a fighting position as Chris rolled her out. Arctic got to her feet as Nico and Shyra fell in behind her and Darius, pulling their weapons as they did. Amy pulled her hammer out, Rouge slipped on her boots, Tails, Sonic, and Knuckles got into fighting positions, and Tris hung back in case of injury.

Arctic snarled and flung herself forward in her own version of Sonic's Spin Dash attack. Everyone else followed her with their own attacks. Knuckles gave an uppercut to one, knocking it to Darius, who tripped it, while Cosmo and Tails double teamed against another. Rouge got in close with one while Nico shot it from afar with his sniper. Sonic, Shyra, Amy, and Arctic all took the one-on-one approach.

Knuckles, Darius, Cosmo, and Tails, as well as Rouge and Nico, finished off their robots swiftly. They fell back and scattered to help the others. Knuckles, Sonic, and Rouge squared up against one. Knuckles punched it in the chest as Sonic began a Spin Dash. Rouge kicked him into the robot, sending the blue hedgehog straight through. On the other side of the room, Amy, Darius, and Cosmo faced yet another robot.

Cosmo pointed a glowing hand at a plant on one side of the room, making it grow into a long vine that wrapped itself around the robot, allowing Amy to smash at it with her hammer and Darius to punch at it. Soon, though, the robot ripped free of the vines, causing Cosmo to cringe and fall back towards Tris, holding her head. The Seedrian pressed her back against the wall.

Darius leaped onto the flat part of Amy's hammer and she flung it, sending him flying. As he went down, he crashed down on the robot's head, smashing it in. The good guys were winning, but just then, the robots turned and fled. The fox and the hedgehog raced over to their friends. "Why are they-?" was as far as Arctic got when a robot jumped back through the window and grabbed her (probably because she was standing right next to it like an idiot), shoving her into its belly and fleeing after its friends before anyone could do anything.

The group shouted and moved to pursue, but before they could, more robots swarmed through and attacked them as a distraction.

~*like, an hour later*~

Sonic groaned as he looked around Chris' house. The aforementioned human popped his head in. "That took a while." Sonic looked around at everyone. They were all laying around, half unconscious from exhaustion except for Darius. The gray echidna sat up. "Okay, who all's not dead? Sound off." A collective groan rose up from everybody. Darius nodded. "Good."

Chris sighed as he looked at the ruins of his living room. "This will take forever to clean up..." he sighed.

**nico:** phew. kinda glad thats over. **shadow:** what the hell are you doing? **nico:** *glares* i just had to do the opening the disclaimer and this by myself! **shadow:** wow. where's ark? **nico:** i thought she was with you? **shadow:** nope. all i know is that she disappeared **nico:** oh. how do you not know where your girlfriend is? **shadow:** *eye twitches* she is not my girlfriend! im gonna kill sonic and the echidna dude for that rumor... im her friend of course she's worried. im still gonna kill her for making him say that. **nico:** but... just because shes the author doesnt mean that shes in control. all of this really happened to us. shes just writing it down. **shadow:** *blinks* oh. i hadnt thought of that. **nico:** actually somebody who would like to remain anonymous send a few ideas once in a while and if its something "romantic" quote quote, the anonymous person threatens her with death if she doesnt puut it in the story. originally, arctic was gonna make her and her ocs only have little parts, but she wound up accidentally making them sorta important. it is her first story with ocs after all. **shadow:** ooooooohhh... i see now. anyway, why didnt you wait for someone else to do the story even if ark wasnt here? **nico:** *points to readers* **shadow:** oh. ok. later guys! see you in the next chapter!

p.s. sorry it was kinda short... i thought that was a good place to stop


	12. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

hey guys! im baaaaack! anyway, sorry i wasnt there for the last chapter. that echidna whos daughter i-erm-well screw it, the guy whos daughter i killed decided that he wanted to jump my ass. **shadow:** so thats what happened. i thought you had died. did your brother really sell his soul to you for a yu-gi-oh card? **me:** yep. it was the Shadow Wall monster card. **shadow:** ...thats a really useless card. he got ripped off. **me:** *grins* yeah. its not even worth the monster you have to tribute. but hes like six, so if i get a free soul out of it, better for me. =^.^= **shadow:** ...im not sure if i should be more proud that you bought the soul of a six year old for so cheap, or more horrified (or more proud) that you can kill that kid at any given moment. probably proud in both cases. CHAPTER ELE- **me:** WAIT! NICO, DISCLAIMER! **nico:** to be short, arcticownsnorecognizablecharactersand/orplaces. boom. **shadow:** -VEN!

Friday, January 21, 2014, 2:43 p.m. Earth time

Unknown Location

Arctic blinked open her eyes. Her back and wrists hurt, and she was cold as fuck. She moved to sit up, but pain shot through her head and she groaned. "Hello?!" a voice demanded. "Is someone else here?" Arctic groaned again, trying to answer, but her throat was dry. The voice spoke again, deep, but rough, probably like her own was. "Are you alright?" Arctic managed a weak, "Mhm!" in confirmation.

The voice seemed satisfied. "Alright. But if you're laying down I suggest you get up. The floor is solid metal. More than one creature has died here because they simply laid around on it. It sucks the warmth straight out of you." Arctic growled as she struggled to get up. She finally managed it. The voice continued, "One actually died just recently. A black and red hedgehog. They dragged him out yesterday."

Arctic threw herself to her feet and looked around frantically. She was in a chain-link cage with a gate. She only spared it a glance, but it had a key lock, and she had nothing to pick it with. She flung herself to the wall, making a loud rattling noise, and managed to rasp, "Black hedgehog?!" She half screeched the words, her voice a painful rasp that she didn't even recognize.

"What was his name?!" _Great..._ she snarled silently. _I sound like a snake. This person won't trust me if that keeps up._ The voice sounded surprised. "So you finally found your voice, eh? Yeah, a black hedgehog. I'm pretty sure they called him Shadow, but I'm not sure. Why? Did you know him?" The voice was curious now, but Arctic's stomach-and heart-had dropped.

The tempermental, yet kind, hedgehog she had befriended, having saved him from a giant glass ball with their friends after he'd been MIA for ten years, was dead. She sniffed, "Yes. I knew him." The voice asked, "How so?" Arctic sat down, trembling, the sound of banging metal ringing out as she did. Tears slid down her face. "He was my friend. One of my best friends at that."

The voice asked, "Who are you?" Arctic straightened and stood again. "I'm a fox by the name of Silaya. But you can call me Arctic." The voice let out a strangled cough. "A-Arctic?!" it demanded. Arctic blinked. "Do you know me?" she rasped. The voice said softly, "I'm sorry! I was worried that you were one of their spies. Either way, what I'm worried about is how they managed to get you, Ark."

Ark. The nickname struck a cord in her chest. "Sh-Shads?!" she demanded. Shadow started coughing, and when he regained his breath, he said, "Yeah. Sorry I had to lie to you. I was worried you were a spy, like the last guy." Arctic blinked and tried to see him. "Are you okay? That's a really bad cough." She looked around, trying to see other cages, but couldn't. When Shadow's voice came again, she still couldn't pinpoint where he was.

"I'm fine." he coughed. "It's just cold, and my throat is dry. They haven't given me anything since I got in here, except for a bowl of rotten meat, which I immediately tossed out." His voice turned stern. "But really, how are you here? We're somewhere on Earth. You should still be on Mobius!" Arctic explained quietly what had happened after he had been captured, conveniently leaving out what had happened before she went back to Tails'.

Shadow said after she finished, "So you managed to get 'hold of Chris, eh? Nice. Anyway..." His voice became even rougher. "You left something out." Arctic was confused for a moment. There was nothing she had said to leave out an important part, was there? Shadow continued, "Is it true? Did you really murder the echidna's daughter in cold blood?"

Arctic's breath hitched in her throat. How did he know? Had the robot that grabbed him stayed behind and he had seen? No, that would have gotten her attention one way or another. But then how did he know?! Her heart pounded. "Well?" Shadow asked. "Did you? I'm your friend, Ark. I have a right to know." Arctic's heart thumped even harder. She opened her mouth, but only a faint sound came out.

(~~*i suggest listening to me and my broken heart by rixten or what i've done by linkin park right now*~~)

Shadow sighed. Arctic finally managed to choke, "How did you know? You weren't supposed to know. _No one_ was supposed to know!" Shadow's voice turned confused. "Why, Ark? Why did you do it? She was defenseless, and you tortured her. To death, as a matter of fact. Why?" She started hyperventilating harshly, her heart threatening to break out of her chest. She could hear the blood rushing through her ears.

"I-I-" She choked, then tried again. "I don't- I mean, I-" She cut herself off. "I just don't know!" she finally cried. "I don't know why I did it! One moment you were there, and then the robot got away with you but not her, and I couldn't keep up, and I was frustrated, and _she_ was there! I just-" She broke off, panting. Shadow made no noise to interrupt her.

"I don't know what happened after that! I did it, and I knew it, but at the time, it seemed to be justified!" she continued. "I _wanted_ to do it with all my heart! It felt like it was the only thing to do! And then I lit the matches and managed to snap out of it, but it was too late! I was horrified, scared, terrified! My heart felt like someone had ripped it out of my chest and I could only scream at what I'd done!"

She stopped, her breathing still fast. She closed her eyes tightly, backing into the back of her cage, the chain link quivering as she pressed against it, shaking violently. "You probably hate me now, knowing that I'm a murderer! As soon as we get out of here, you're going to tell the others! There's nothing that can wash away what I've done!" She let out a choked sob, the horror and fear of what she'd done catching up to her.

Shadow, in his cage, blinked upon hearing her sob. "Ark? Are you crying? Are you alright?" She cried out, "Yes and no! You hate me, I'm a murderer, and when everyone else finds out, our friends will hate me! The people I came here with, the ones that I fought side-by-side with, will never look at me the same way again! Everyone will hate me! They'll never trust me ever again!"

Shadow blinked again. "Ark! Calm down! You're going to give yourself a siezure or a heart attack!" Arctic demanded, "What do you care? You hate me, now that you know I'm a murderer! And everyone else will too! They'll never talk to me again and-" Shadow snapped, "Silaya Arctic Raicha! Shut up!" Arctic broke off with a shocked sob, still hyperventilating.

Shadow said soothingly, "Calm down. Deep breaths." Arctic did so, calming slightly. "Better?" Shadow asked. She replied softly, "A-A little..." Shadow sighed at her outburst. "Ark," he said calmly, not wanting her to frreak again. "I don't hate you." She tried to interrupt. "But-!" He cut her off. "I didn't interrupt you, now shut up. I don't hate you, because you are my friend.

"And I believe you when you say you don't know why you did it, because if I said that had never happened to me I'd be a liar. But I don't hate you, and if you don't want me to tell the others, though I don't believe they'd really hate you, I won't. And I'm here for you." Arctic's breathing slowed slightly. "Mean it?" Shadow nodded. "Yes. That's what friends are for."

Arctic, in her cage, was deeply touched. "Thanks, Shads." She blinked. "But where are-?" Suddenly, she remembered something she had said to Shadow once. _She looked down and exchanged grins with Shadow. "The one place they never think to look: up!"_ Slowly, she looked up. (*insert creaking noise and excalibur face here*) A metal sheet was above the chain link of her cage.

"Nevermind." she sighed. She climbed up the front of her cage, which was about ten feet, and reached through one of the many holes. She felt Shadow's hand take hers as she reached past the sheet of metal separating them. "Found you!" she giggled. She could practically hear Shadow's eye roll as he released her hand and said, "Glad to see you're back to normal."

Friday, January 21, 2014, 2:55 p.m. Earth time

Chris Thorndyke's hangar

Chris sighed in relief as he loaded Sonic, Amy, Rouge, Tails, Cosmo, Knuckles, Nico, Shyra, Tris, and Darius onto his private jet. Arctic's group was staring in fascination at the sleek body. "Arctic would _love_ to make one of these herself!" Nico said in awe as he caught sight of the interior if the jet. Chris stretched. It had taken a surprisingly long time to pack, as Nico and Shyra hadn't been able to find their weapons and-in Shyra's case-clothes.

It turned out that some tiger DNA and some Mobian DNA-willingly given by Arctic-had managed to merge and mutate into a pure white Mobian with gray tiger stripes and legs, but having a fox torso and head. It was a female with silver eyes. Like, legit liquid-looking silver. The foxy tiger, as Sonic had dubbed it, had reluctantly relinquished the weapons and clothing, and Chris had left her with his maid.

Chris made a mental note to discuss the fox-tiger with Arctic, since it was her DNA that had helped create it. Sonic was running around like a freakin maniac trying to escape Amy, Dairus had plonked into a seat and passed out, Knuckles and Rouge were talking quietly-being the only two who weren't being insane, oddly enough!-and Shyra had Nico by the tail and throat, hanging him upside-down, and trying to kill him, it seemed.

The little cat clawed her face and scrambled away from the bat, sticking his little pink tounge out at her. He darted into the cockpit. After forcibly strapping Amy down on one side of the plane and Sonic in the other, Chris followed. For a moment, he wondered where Tails and Cosmo went, but when he saw Tails' namesakes waving in one of the back seats, he decided that they were good.

He sat in the pilot's seat and put on his headset. "Passengers, please strap in until the orange seatbelt lights above your seats flick off. In the event of an emergency, your seats can be used as floatation devices. Enjoy the ride!"

please note that the foxy tiger(yes for now the name stays) will be important later

Friday, January 21, 2014, 4:45 p.m. Earth time

Unknown Location

Arctic sighed in boredom. Something interesting needed to happen or she'd try to kill herself. "Yo Shads!" she called. "Were you serious when you said people died from laying on the ground?" Shadow tapped absently on the ground as he sat on it. "Deadly." There was a slight moment of silence, then they both burst into laughter at the unintended joke.

There was a clank as someone walked into the room, which, Arctic had observed, was pretty much a giant warehouse-looking storage room. Thirty-by-thirty feet of cold hard cement and cold steel walls. Arctic stood and heard Shadow do the same above her. The big echidna strode in, dragging something behind him. He opened the gate to Arctic's cage and threw it at her, knocking her down long enough to close the gate and leave.

Arctic groaned, whatever had been thrown a deadweight on top of her. Shadow called, "Ark, you okay? What the hell happened?" Silaya managed, "I'm fine." She sat up with a huff as the thing rolled off of her, moaning. She rubbed her eyes and looked, seeing a ball of green and white fluff. "Axle!" she cried. Shadow yelled, "Axle!?" The little fox cub sat up with a groan, and Arctic screeched in fury when she saw his face, chest, and belly.

"Arctic!" he wailed, tackling her in a hug. "Oh, Axle! I'm so sorry! I'm sorry I couldn't save you, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Axle just buried his face in her chest fur, soaking it with tears. "Arctic! I missed you so much!" Arctic tightened her grip on him. "I missed you too, Ax!" Axle looked up into her face, round blue eyes wide in fear. "I thought I'd never see you again!"

"I'm here now, Axle." Silaya whispered. She stood, bringing him with her. She gaped at his size. Where as he had been just above her waist, he was now at least to her collarbone. "You've gotten so big." she told him, tearing up a bit. Axle hugged her again. "It doesn't matter. You're here, and I'm not alone anymore!" He looked up at her, eyes wide. "You look different."

Arctic blinked, surprised. "Oh. You've never seen me out of regular apparel." she realized, just remembering her tank top and shorts in place of her vest and leather pants. Axle shook his head. "That too, but no. Your hair is braided!" Arctic's hand flew to her hair and she realized that he was right. "Huh. It is, isn't it." Shadow called, "That's how she wore it before she met you. She only recently began wearing it down."

Axle nodded. He was silent for a while, then he finally asked, "Are you here to rescue me again, like you did before?" Arctic remembered when she had first seen Axle, beaten and abused, and opened her mouth to reply, but then the echidna started laughing as he returned. "Rescue you? The only reason she's here is because I caught her too!"

Arctic bristled and marched up to the chain link, getting as close as she could to the echidna on the other side. "Had you attacked when we weren't still half-asleep and in our _pajamas_, then we would have kicked your robots sorry asses! Hell, we _did_ kick your damn robots dumb asses! That bot that snatched me like a fucking coward grabbed me from behind.

Shadow cringed, hearing a full on rant coming. "So you have nothing to be fucking proud of, you dumb, mother fucking, bitch ass, _cock-sucking, cum-guzzling, Chaos-damned, cunt-smelling, ugly ass, __**dick faced BASTARD!**_" She finally stopped, panting, having used every creative word she could think of. "And that's what I think of _you_ asshat!"

She took a step back, panting, having not taken a single breath in the whole barrage of insults. There was a loud smacking sound as Shadow facepalmed. Arctic said, "Don't act like you weren't about to do sort of the same thing." Shadow made a noise like, "fair enough." Axle stared at his "sister" and blinked in shock. Shadow facepalmed again.

"Arctic, you do know that you just took some of your most creative swear words... And used them all in front of Axle." Arctic turned slowly, accompanied by a creaking noise, and looked at Axle. She pulled an Excalibur face and cringed. "...Fuck." Axle just stared. The echidna blinked, surprised that this insolent _girl_ had that gall to snap at him like that.

"Oh, and by the way Dickhead, what's your name? I need something else to call you other than the nicknames I've made, including but not limited to, Douchebag, Whore-Face, Co-" Shadow snapped, "Arctic! Children are present!" before she could mentally scar Axle. Arctic cut off reluctantly. Before she could react, the echidna's hand shot forward and grabbed her by the throat in an iron grip.

Arctic snarled ferociously as the echidna hissed so that only her and maybe Shadow if he were close enough could hear, "You need not know my name yet, Murderer, but you may call me Hades for now, for I will be your hell for a _long_ time." Arctic spat in his face, hardly able to draw enough breath to stay conscious. "Hades" reared back in disgust, slamming her against the cage in the process and cracking her neck.

She gasped in pain and surprised as he dropped her. Axle immediately darted forward. "Arctic! Are you okay?" he cried. Shadow snarled, "You bastard! When we get out of here we are going to-(CEEEEEEEEENNSSSSOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRED! You know it's bad, cuz i dont censor shit.)-and shove it into your headless throat!" Arctic, who had managed to cover Axle's ears, now released the kit.

Shadow snarled wordlessly as Hades moved to leave. Arctic, still undefeated, snapped at his retreating form, "And the Greek version of Hell is Tartarus, dumbass! Hades doesn't even choose if you go to Elsium, Fields of Punishment, or there! If you're going to use a different culture's god as a name, at least get it straight why, Douchebag!"

The echidna froze in anger, then left. Arctic sighed as the fight left her, and she slumped against the chain link, sliding down into a sitting position. Her neck hurt and throbbed, and her windpipe felt like it was going to bruise. "You okay, Ark?" Shadow asked, slight worry in his voice. "I'll be fine..." Silaya rasped. Axle plopped down next to her.

"Arctic?" She looked over. "Yeah?" The kit looked up at her. "I have a question. When did you become so _badass?!_" he demanded excitedly. "That was awesome! You told his ass off like it was nothing!" Arctic's head rolled so that she was looking up at Shadow's cage.

"Shadooooow... I'm going to _fucking __**kill you!**_"

that was fun. looks like shadows fucked. **axle:** pleeeease dont kill him! **me:** dont worry ax...im not gonna kill him. im just gonna...massage his neck a little... **shadow:** *gulp*


End file.
